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LIBRARY 
OF THE 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 





Victoria U. Clayton. 


WHITE AND BLACK 
UNDER THE OLD REGIME 


se 


Lage 


MIGTORIA V. GLAY TON 


(widow of the late Henry D. Clayton, Major General C. S. A., 
Judge of the Circuit Court of Alabama, 
President of the University of Alabama.) 


6 


WITH INTRODUCTION BY 


FREDERIC COOK MOREHOUSE 


Editor of *‘ The Church Eclectic,’? Author of 
“Some American Churchmen,” etc. 


96 


MILWAUKEE: 


THE YOUNG CHURCHMAN CoO., 
And 7-9 West 18th Street, New York. 


LONDON : 
Sampson Low, Marston & Co. 


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Copyright by 
The Young Churchman Co. 
1899, 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


LOL EGE 8 10) te Oe 2 rr 5 
Permmnonrs = PTCIACe, 0. be, fan 8 Si ate 2, 18 
I. Parentage and History of Early 
Ree SC ey ean iy 

II. Other Events of Childhood—School 
Days—Close of School Life. . 28 


Sireeoneturme Homer... Pia o5,2 se . 38 
IV. The Kansas Episode — Seeing the 
COMUURY: earn mere ne ety Nt t > GZ 


V. Return to Alabama— Home Inci- 
dents — Mutterings of War— 
Incidents at Pensacola. — Ex- 
tempore Manufacturing. 
VI. Home Trials and Labors— Cloth 
Making —Varions I[llustrative 
Ticitente were oa ace kis 
VII. Close of the War—Incidents of Re- 
construction — Extract from 


CO 
bo 


‘ Judge Clayton’s Charge to the 

. Grand Jury — Beginning Life 

: COV Grease a) Ste nee Ol OU 
{ VIII. Becoming a Slaveholder Again— 
% Last Days of General Clayton. 184 
~< 

Wi 

x 


815649 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FULL PAGE HALF TONES, 


The Authoress. . . ; FRONTISPIECE. 


The Authoress in Younger Days. 


Stephen Elliott, D.D., Bishop of Georgia, 


1841-1866. : 
The Old Homestead, Clayton, pala. 


General Clayton, in aa ea, War. 


Brig. Gen. Grierson, U.S. A. 
General Clayton, J ty 


President’s Mansion, University of aie 
. 190-191 


bama. 


OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS, 


Group of Negro Children. 
‘Say yer Pra’rs, Chile.” 
Carding and Weaving. 
Bishop Quintard. 

‘“ Uncle Joe.” 

Bishop Cobbs. 

Bishop Wilmer. 


16-17 


34-35 
46-47 
62-63 
148-149 
156-157 


32 

39 
114 
138 
168 
189 
189 


INTRODUCTION. 


HE civilized world never again 
will see a people who are ealled 
happy because they have no history. 
There was a time—it may be said to 
have terminated with the reign of 
Henry VII. in England 


was a record of kings and knights, of 





when History 


wars of conquest and quarrels about suc- 
cession to thrones. We have begun to 
be civilized since those days; and in a 
few centuries more we shall no doubt 
be able to write, ‘““Happy is that people 
who have a long history.” For History 
now-a-days is the record of the develop- 
ment, the advances, the progress of a 
people. 

That is why a sketch such as these 


6 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





covers enfold, is worthy of a place in 
a historical collection. The modesty of 
the authoress, which, according to a 
Gelic proverb, is “the beauty of 


women,” 


and according to Diogenes, is 
“the color of virtue,” leads her to under- 
rate the value of her own work. Her 
noble husband, at whose request, before 
his death, these pages were written, was 
one of the most eminent men in the 
South during and after the great con- 
flict. He is said to have been the first 
man in Alabama to enlist in the war for 
the Confederacy. As Major General in 
the Confederate army, Judge of the cir- 
euit court of Alabama, and President of 
the University of Alabama, he may 
easily be picked out as a true representa- 
tive of the men of the Old South; as his 
white-haired widow, whose sweet. nobil- 
ity of character shines out in her every 
deed, is of the women of the same. 

And the Claytons have been no un- 


Introduction. i 
known quantity in the history of the 
nation. The senior branch, whose an- 
cestor, Joshua Clayton, came over with 
William Penn, and settled in Delaware, 
has given to the country three United 
States Senators, one of them being also 
the Secretary of State under President 
Taylor, who negotiated for the United 
States and gave his name to, the Clay- 
ton-bulwer treaty. The junior branch 
of the family, which is settled in Vir- 
ginia and Georgia, traces its history to 
John Clayton, attorney general of colo- 
nial Virginia, and has also produced 
the renowned botanist, son of the attor- 
ney general, a senator from Georgia, 
and a number of men familiar in the 
local history of Virginia. 

It is the middle line, the descendants 
of James Clayton, who settled in Mary- 
land at about the dawn of the eighteenth 
century, of which Major General Henry 
D. Clayton, the husband of this present 


8 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





authoress, may be said to be the most 
prominent figure. These Claytons were 
more roving, and have planted branches 
of their line in Maryland, in North Car- 
olina, in Alabama, in New York, and in 
California. One fair daughter of the 
race came to Wisconsin to make a home 
for him who writes this introduction, 
and to transplant in the hardy North, 
those same noble virtues which have 
made the name renowned throughout 
the South. Two of the sons of General 
and Mrs. Clayton are at this present 
time Members of Congress, the one 
from Alabama and the other from New 
York. A brother, a Captain in the Con- 
federate army, was fatally wounded at 
Murfreesboro. 

For myself, a son of the North, 
trained in the very opposite political 
principles for which the Claytons and 
the South have contended, it is a great 


happiness to introduce this simple 


Introduction, 9 





memoir, which, in its way, is an A pol- 
ogia for the Old South. The South has 
given to me the dearest treasure a man 
may seek; and in return for it I give 
the South a true, warm affection, see- 
ing the nobility which has lain back of 
her history, appreciating her problems, 
past and present, which one can only 
fully know when he really knows her 
people, sympathizing with her in 
troubles which would have driven into 
anarchy a less noble race, condoning her 
very faults and mistakes. 

For all human progress has moved 
along in a blundering sort of fashion, 
and we have stumbled into more prom- 
ised lands than we ever set out to con- 
the 


Holy Ghost brooding over many a 





quer. I can see God in History 
Chaos since first the history of Crea- 
tion was written. He truly has moved 


“in a mysterious way,’ and has used 


10 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 
our very blundering and stumbling, 
“His wonders to perform.” 

I wish the younger generation would 
try to know the South, as I have learned 
to know it. The Spanish war has shown 
to the world, what we Americans have 
long known, that we are again a united 
country. But we do not understand 
each other’s problems as we ought to, 
and in our political relations, we are 
content to put on our war paint, and 
flourish our tomahawks, and pretend 
that the integrity of the Constitution, 
if not of the whole human race, depends 
on our scalping a few windmills that 
politicians have laboriously pushed into 
our way. And all the while we have 
lucid intervals in which we see that it 
is all a great ghost dance, and that they 
are the ghosts and goblins of dead issues 
and dead warriors that are keeping alive 
the bonfire in the camp. And if in spite 
of all the ghosts, the flames of past dis- 


Introduction. visi 
cords will burn low, the politicians will 
gather by the clans and discuss what 
new “issues” they can devise, to keep 
the windmills in the road and the people 
apart. 

And that they term Polities. 

But some day we shall learn better. 
And these quiet annals, such as this 
which I now introduce to a people who 
truly intend to do right, as the Ameri- 
can people intend to do, will help to 
speed the day. 

May God do the rest! 


FrrepEeric C. MorEeHOUvUSE. 
Milwaukee, August, 1899. 


We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; 
In feelings, not in figures on a dial. 

He most lives 
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. 


PREFACE. 


HE writer of this biography is a 
woman now over sixty years of 

age. Her life has been spent entirely in 
the South, and covers the most eventful 
and stirring period of the Nation’s his- 
tory. She is able to recall the happy 
days of Southern prosperity prior to the 
civil war. She knows experimentally 
and by observation what slavery was. 
She realizes its happiness and sorrow; 
she has felt the anxiety and experienced 
the sacrifices incident to the struggle ; 
she has sustained the bitter loss which 
the defeat of the South finally entailed. 
She lays this humble and unpreten- 


14. White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





tious biography before the public for 
the following reasons: 

First, it was her husband’s request, 
made shortly before his death, that she 
should make record in this way of her 
experiences, and she feels that his 
wishes in the matter should be 
respected. And, therefore, though 
utterly unaccustomed to literary effort, 
she tries to fulfil his desire. 

Again, she thinks her simple story 
may not be entirely without fruit in giv- 
ing her Northern readers a more just 
conception of what the system of South- 
ern slavery actually was, as it existed 
in many, if not in most, instances. She 
thinks the time has come in her hfe 
when she can recount her experiences 
and tell her tale without a suggestion 
of bitterness, being only concerned to 
present things as they were, and to de- 
clare her convictions as they existed. 

And, finally, she trusts that the story 


Preface. 15 
of her life will be of interest to her chil- 
dren and grandchildren, as well as to 
family connections and friends. 


1399. eaves (ar, 








Mrs. Glayton. 


nee 4 Lo Pw a) Cy ie, a ae 
AS : . i a 3 7 ie . : BY 7 fi - 
¥ aft aie 





z | LIBRARY 
| OF THE 
| . UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 





WHITE AND BLACK UNDER THE 
OLD REGIME. 


ik 


PARENTAGE AND HISTORY OF EARLY 
DAYS. 


“OQ Reader! had you in your mind 
Such stories as silent thought can bring, 
O gentle Reader! you would find 
A tale in everything. 
What more I have to say is short, 
And you must kindly take it: 
It is no tale; but, should you think, 
Perhaps a tale you’ll make it.” 
— Wordsworth. 


Y father, John Linguard Hunter, 
was of English and Scottish 
descent, his ancestors belonging to the 


18 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


Gentry.* He was a planter by profes- 
sion, owning at one time two large plan- 
tations in the State of South Carolina. 

In 1835, hearing many marvellous 
stories of the great productiveness of 
the land in the State of Alabama, he 
was induced to sell his plantations in 
his old native State and move to Ala- 
bama. Here he found everything in a 
crude, unsettled condition. I was only 
two years old, and consequently know 
nothing of the country at that time ex- 
cept from hearing the older members of 
the family tell about it. 

The little town selected for our home 
was merely an Indian village then. 
Many tribes of these natives roved over 
the country. Oftentimes they were 
very troublesome, and finally became so 
hostile to the white settlers that they | 
were obliged, in self-defense, to resort 


*He married when quite young, Sarah Eliz- 
abeth Bowler, who was of English parentage. 
She was my mother. 


Parentage and History of Early Days. 19 
to some means of driving them out. 
This meant war, which began in Feb- 
ruary, 1836. 

My father and oldest brother joined 
the army formed for the purpose of 
making the red man take up his march 
towards the setting sun. My mother 
and her children were sent up into mid- 
dle Georgia to remain while these hos- 
tilities, called the Indian War, lasted. 

When peace was restored and it was 
safe for us to return, we came back to 
our home in Irwinton, now Eufaula. 
A house for our occupation had been 
almost finished in the village before our 
flight, and my mother found on our re- 
turn that the soldiers had used it as a_ 
barracks, and in consequence it was 1n- 
jured to some extent. She cared not, 
though, for this; she was so thankful to 
be free from savage faces peeping and 
prying around the premises. She had 
been very much afraid of these savages, 


20 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


and when the squaws visited her she 
used to give them anything they asked 
for; and in this way we were often de- 
prived of a favorite dress or of other 
things which we prized greatly. Being 
fond of gay colors, they were always 
sure to want the red dresses, and, to our 
discomfort, carried them off. 

Speaking of the productiveness of 
the soil, brings to my mind what I have 
heard of the vast quantity of strawber- 
ries that covered the earth in the spring. 
The Indians would gather them to sell 
to the white settlers; picking them from 
native vines that had never received any 
cultivation except the burning off of the 
forest once a year. 

Upon his return to Irwinton, my 
father began to put his home in order, 
arranging for the white family in the 
village, and for the most part of the 
colored families on the plantation. The 
plantation lay on the banks of the Chat- 


Parentage and History of Early Days. 21 





tahoochie River, about two miles from 
the village. Here the greater number 
of his slaves lived. My father was a 
slave-holder by inheritance, never hav- 
ing known anything else. “Our 
thoughts, our morals, our most fixed be- 
hefs, are consequences of our place of 
birth.” 

When fond memory carries me back 
to my childhood’s happy days, these col- 
ored friends on the old plantation oc- 
cupy a very important place. I recall 
the commodious carriage, the bay 
horses, and old Uncle Abram seated on 
the driver’s seat to take us, the children, 
through the beautiful woods, to make a 
visit to the old “‘maumers” down on the 
plantation. Our mother taught us to 
respect age in whatever position we 
found it, and we always called the older 
women “maumers” as marks of respect 
due their years. How dear these scenes 
are to us even now ! 







22 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


“Pictured in memory’s mellowing glass how 
sweet 

Our infant days, our infant joys to greet; 

To roam in fancy in each cherished scene, 

The village churchyard, and the village green, 

The woodland walk remote, the green wood 
glade, 

The mossy seat beneath the hawthorn’s shade, 

The whitewashed cottage where the woodbine 
grew, 

And the favorite haunts our childhood knew: 

These long lost scenes to me the past restore, 

Each humble friend, each pleasure now no 
more.” —Kuirke White. 


Every slave family possessed a gar- 
den, truck patch, chicken house and a 
lot of hens, and, from 
these sources, always had 
something nice to pre- 
sent to us, their young 
‘“misses, ”’ 
We cher- 
ished these 
humble 


| 


Zag 
; 


Vv 
J 
ae 
co 
A 
=e 


Parentage and History of Early Days. 23 





egos, and the hke, as though they were 
of intrinsic value. Their little cottages 
were arranged so as to form streets. 
After making the round of visits, not 
shghting any, but going in to see every 
one at home, sitting and chatting with 
all, we usually finished our calls at 
Uncle Sam’s house. He was the fore- 
man on the plantation, and had a more 
pretentious home. His wife, maum 
Flora, would entertain us most royally 
with bread and milk under the grand 
old oaks that sheltered the space around 
the door. These two humble friends 
would express much sincere delight at 
our accepting their generous hospital- 
itv. J have spent many happy hours 
with these good people in the long ago. 
The old man was a Methodist preacher, 
and close by his house stood a neat little 
building, in which he gathered all the 
children on Sunday morning to teach 


them their duty to God and man. Later 


24 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 





in the day the adults assembled for wor- 
ship. Frequently a visiting preacher 
would assist Uncle Sam in ministering 
to these people on a Sunday. The old 
man could read the Bible, but his educa- 
tion did not extend much beyond that 
and weighing the cotton as it was gath- 
ered from the fields, and putting down 
the weights for my father’s inspection. 
Uncle Sam was, I believe, a good Christ- 
ian man, and these people looked up to 
him with almost reverence. 

My father was a kind, indulgent mas- 
ter, and I think I have never in the 
world met with happier people than 
were these simple uneducated blacks. 

At our home in town were several 
slave families besides the house ser- 
vants. One large, old woman I remem- 
ber so well—maum Eva. She served 
as monthly nurse to the ladies over the 
town, and would pay my mother so 


much each month; “Hiring her time,” 


Parentage and History of Early Days. 25 








she termed it. In this way she made 
considerable money and lived well, al- 
ways having something nice to eat in 
her house. I thought she made the most 
marvellous “marvels” and honey cakes 
I ever tasted. Occasionally she invited 
the children of her white folks (as she 
called us) to take tea with her, and those 
teas were always enjoyed to the fullest 
extent by us. 

Maum Kate, the washwoman, also 
deserves mention. She lived over on 
the hill near the banks of the Chatta- 
hoochie River, where we could watch 
the boats ascending and descending the 
beautiful river. She always had a loaf 
of nice bread awaiting our coming. 

We dearly loved these old friends and 
thought their food the best in the world. 

The hog-killing times were always 
glorious to us children. In those days 
we had no railroads, and transportation 
through the country was carried on by 


26 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





private means. ‘The meat raised for ex- 
portation in Kentucky and Tennessee 
was not cured in those states and sent 
off as now, but the porkers were driven 
in great herds into other states and sold 
on their feet, and thus the farmers 
bought their meat and cured it them- 
selves for the plantations. Hog-killing 
for home use was a big time; especially 
to the negroes, who enjoyed the back 
bones and spare ribs hugely. I can, in 
imagination, see them now with their 
thick, greasy lips and laughing eyes. 
Everything was conducted in primitive 
style. There were no sausage stuffers 
and cutters like those of to-day, but one 
large room was filled with blocks sawed 
from forest trees, and at each block sat 
a woman, adorned with white apron and 
head-kerchief, chopping with a hatchet 
the sausage meat—chop, chop—then 
turn over and chop again until the meat 


was ready to be cased. Then the frying 


Parentage and History of Early Days. 27 





pan was in demand as the seasoning 
went on, to ascertain when palatable. 
Then the stuffing began, with no ma- 
chine but a piece of white oak splint. 
Twisted round and round over this, the 
case was drawn and the meat pushed in 
and pulled down with the fingers. Thus 
sausages were made on the old South- 
ern plantations. We would stand 
around and watch these operations with 
child-like pleasure. My mother always 
- had a goodly supply of good sausage on 
hand for the winter. 


II, 


OTHER EVENTS OF CHILDHOOD— 
SCHOOL DAYS—CLOSE OF SCHOOL 
LIFE. 


N old aunt of my mother had 
come to make her home with us. ° 

She was a peculiar woman and a de- 
votedly zealous Methodist. She built 
the first Methodist church in Barbour 
County. It is now standing in Eufaula, 
but is used as a Hebrew Synagogue, the 
Methodists having sold it and_ built 
other churches. Many a day have I 
spent, when about eight years old, going 
round calling with Aunt Polly, as 
everybody called her. She was a Mrs. 


Barefield, but few knew her except as 


Other Events of Childhood. 29 


Aunt Polly. She never left home with- 
out her sack, which she wore suspended 
from her waist, containing a bottle of 
cologne, one of paragoric, one of liquid 
assafcetida, and a silver teaspoon. All 
these were fitted in their respective 
places, and this strange contrivance was 
concealed by her over-dress. She also 
carried an umbrella and fan. Thus she 
was always ready for heat, cold or sun- 
shine, sickness or health. These con- 
veniences were oftentimes brought into 
requisition in her visits to the families 
of the town. With this dear old aunt 
I began my first church work. 

In the spring of 1843 this aunt was 
taken to Paradise. Very soon after, our 
darling mother followed, and our happy 
family was broken up. The older chil- 
dren had married and gone, but there 
were four of us left. My father sent 
the two older girls to a boarding school, 
carried on by Mrs. Caroline Lee Hense, 


30 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





so my youngest sister and I were left 
with father in our sad old home. The 
servants were as good to us as they could 
be, but Father’s business necessitated his 
absence a considerable portion of the 
time; consequently he determined it 
best for us to go and live with our mar: 
ried sisters. I spent several years very 
happily in my sister Violetta’s family, 
although I never could speak of my 
sainted mother without shedding tears. 

Our once rustic little village had by 
this time grown to be quite a town, and 
supported good schools. My brother, 
with whom I was now staying, had a 
friend living some miles in the country, 
who had a daughter he wished to send 
in town to attend school. She came ta 
stay with us, and shared my room. We 
became good friends, and after her so- 
journ with us for several months, her 
father came to take her home for a few 
days, and invited me to accompany her 


Other Events of Childhood. 81 








to their country home, some fifteen 
miles distant, which I was delighted to 
do. When we reached Abbie’s home. 
the news of a marriage near by greeted 
us, and the next day we attended this 
real country wedding, and strangely 
primitive and uncouth it was to me! 
The following day I was still more ex- 
cited by the novelty of events. The en- 
tire neighborhood was invited to what 
they called an “infair” at my friend’s 
house. In society we would term it a 
reception, but these country people 
called it an infair. Early in the morn- 
ing the crowd began to gather from the 
surrounding country for many miles, 
and no sooner had they assembled than 
dancing began; not the fashionable 
round dances of to-day, but the old Co: 
tillion and Virginia Reel. I, being a 
city young lady only about twelve years 
old, but considering myself much older, 
was quite the belle of the occasion, and 


32 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


entered into the rural sports with all 
the gusto of youth. When I think of 
it now I am reminded of Goldsmith’s 
Deserted Village: 


“Where humble happiness endeared each scene; 
ee ee eee er ee eS 
His best companions, innocence and health, 
And his best riches, ignorance of wealth.” 
Among this large company of simple. 
unsophisticated men, there was one 
somewhat above the others in honors, as 
he was Justice of the Peace, and often 
in his little rustic office sat in judgment 
on the breakers of the law. His name 
was Young Wood. Ie was Abbie’s 
uncle, and every one in the neighbor- 
hood called him Uncle Young. He par- 
ticularly admired me, and would say, 
“She is a pretty little gal.” He was an 
odd-looking old man. I once heard a 
boy say, “Why, Uncle Young looks like 
a big apple with two straws stuck in it.” 
He was as good and true a citizen as 
Barbour County could boast. The old 


Other Events of Childhood. 33 


man was a great politician, and in after 
years he became a strong friend of my 
husband. JI never saw the old man 
again until after I had married and be- 
come the mother of several children, 
and then he came to our home. I was 
in the garden gathering berries for tea, 
when my husband came out and said 
to me: 

“Victoria, Uncle Young has come to 
see us.” 

I followed him into the house imme- 
diately and greeted this kind old friend 
cordially. He seemed disappointed in 
not meeting the rosy young girl he had 
admired so extravagantly, but a staid 
woman instead. He scanned me very 
closely and, turning to my husband, 
whom he always called Henry, he said: 

“Henry, she was the prettiest little 
thing I ever saw the day she was at the 
‘infair’ at Jim’s.” 


I said, “Well, Uncle Young, I lack 


34 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


considerable of being the pretty little 
girl now.” 

Whereupon he replied, “T’ll be d—d 
if you don’t.” 

This would have seemed exceedingly 
ill-bred and uncouth in any one else; 
not so, though, with this humble, good- 
meaning man. We enjoyed a hearty 
laugh at his strongly expressed disap- 
pointment. 

To take up again the thread of my 
narrative: JI remained in my sister’s 
family until my fifteenth year, when 
my father, who was an Episcopalian, 
took me to the school of Bishop Stephen 
Elliott. The Bishop at that time had the 
supervision of Christ College, a female 
institute belonging to the Diocese of 
Georgia, situated at Montpelier, about 
fourteen miles from Macon. There I 
remained two years and learned to love 
God’s Holy Church. This love has 
grown day by day in all these succeed- 





onnensoneenetiooone. 
ene 


Stephen Elliott, D. D., 


Bishop of Georgia, 1841-1866. 


LIBRARY 
OF THE 
UNIVERSITY OF TLLINGIS 


School Days. BO 








ing years. The school generally num- 
bered about one hundred girls from our 
best families, and they were all devoted 
to the dear Bishop and lovely Mrs. 
Elliott. 

Many of our teachers were from the 
North, and were very intellectual and 
highly cultivated ladies, and I was 
much attached to several of them. Some 
of my happiest days were spent here at 
Montpelier, and memory still retains 
some lovely pictures of our life in these 
classic halls. The school was con- 
ducted somewhat unlike most boarding 
schools. It was divided into sections, 
each section consisting of about twelve 
girls. One teacher had special charge 
of a section. She was expected to look 
after the girls under her care with re- 
gard to their welfare in every way. 
Fach teacher had a parlor, called her 
section room, where all of her girls were 
obliged to assemble at the ringing of the 


36 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


bell, very soon after the evening meal. 
Here the girls were required to bring 
some sewing, fancy work, or plain sew- 
ing, as each wished, and, while we were 
learning the use of the needle, one of 
the girls would read aloud. In this way 
the section room became an important 
feature in the education of the girls. 
Here we read Milton’s Paradise Lost, 
and many other standard works. 

I shall ever remember the day Bishop 
Elliott became forty-one years old. We 
all knew when his birthday was. [or 
several weeks beforehand we were mak- 
ing preparations for the surprise and 
happiness of this “‘man of God.” When 
he awoke in the morning, the first thing 
that greeted him was a beautiful pair 
of chamber slippers with a dainty note 
of love from the section composed of the 
smaller girls; then in the sitting-room 
there awaited him a token of love from 
each teacher and her girls. When he 


Close of School Life. 37 





entered the breakfast room, the table 
was all wreathed in flowers. The 
Bishop then made us a little speech, ex- 
pressing his appreciation, and_ school 
duties were suspended for the day. 
How happy we all were! 


ITI, 


RETURN HOME, 


ETER two years’ stay at boarding 
school, I returned to the old 
homestead and found my father all 
alone except the faithful family slaves. 
In those days, with the better class of 
citizens, such servants were numerous, 
and each had his special charge. In our 
household there were Middleton, who 
waited on my father and kept the din- 
ing room in order; the cook, maum 
Louisa; the washwoman, maum Kate; 
and Uncle Abram, the man-servant who 
cared for the horses. There were all 
these servants with so little to occupy 
them; yet they were cared for as mem- 


Return Home, 39 


bers of the family, fed and clothed, and 
attended by the family doctor when 
sick. They were not taken on social 
equality 
with their 
owners, — 
any more j| Ah} {|| — 
than the | | ( | 
servants at | Hi NA cnn 

















(\ 





the North i Mm 0 
would be. 
My fa- 


y) 






































iit: Tos 





slaves all a 











looked up 


























to him with 















































loving res- 4 | 





pea On = 
my return 
home, a ‘SAY YER PRA’RS, CHILE.” 
eink of 
twelve summers was brought in from 
the plantation for my special service. 

I recall a sad incident of this period 
of my life. On the death of my mother, 


40 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


her estate, which consisted of slaves, 
was divided among the children. In 
the number that came to my inherit- 
ance was a bright, intelligent boy. He 
acted as errand boy about the premises 
and was very useful. One day he asked 
permission to go with another boy of 
nearly the same age to gather blackber- 
ries. After some importunity on his 
part I consented to let him go. The 
two happy boys ran off in glee, promis- 
ing to be good boys. It was the last 
time that Daniel was ever seen. His 
comrade returned in great excitement: 
to say that Daniel was drowned in the 
river. We had a search made and the 
shore watched, but never could find his 
body. This incident was a great sor- 
row to my young heart, for I had be- 
come much attached to him, as he was 
good and affectionate. 

My two sisters, older than myself, 
who were sent to boarding school after 


Return Home, 41 


our mother’s death, had married at the 
early age of sixteen, and had _ house- 
holds of their own. In those days our 
Southern girls married very young. 
The reason of this was, I suppose, that 
there were so many more young men in 
the South than young women, that the 
girls were in demand. A large number 
of young men came from the North to 
engage in business here. On attending 
church I have often looked over the con- 
eregation and seen many more young 
gentlemen than ladies present. Now it 
is quite the reverse. We often see a 
congregation composed almost entirely 
of ladies. 

In our dear oid home I found the 
management of domestic duties in the 
hands of the negroes. I at once pro- 
ceeded to take the supervision of the 
household into my own hands, not only 
the little every-day matters about the 
house, but also the weighing-out and 


42 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


providing supplies to be sent down to 
the plantation. All these things had 
been entrusted to the negroes by my 
father. They had gotten along pretty 
well; still, I thought I could improve 
on the existing management, and ac- 
cordingly went to work in earnest. 

I staid closely at home attending to 
these duties. I did not know that any 
one in town was taking note of my con- 
duct. But by some means, it soon be- 
came the talk of the town that the young 
lady just returned from college was 
making herself a practicable business 
woman. A young man recently gradu- 
ated with the highest honors from a col- 
lege in Virginia, came to Eufaula for 
the purpose of studying law, and hear- 
ing of her, he remarked, “‘Must seek her 
acquaintance; she will make a good 
wife.” No practical man worth the 
favorable consideration of a young lady, 
desires a useless woman to share with 


Return Home. 43 





him the “changes and chances of this 
mortal life.” This young man studied 
law, was admitted to the bar, and soon 
procured the position of assistant in the 
Circuit Clerk’s office at Clayton, the 
county seat. He bought a home there 
and finally asked me to share it with 
him. 

Marriage, in my judgment, was too 
serious a thing to enter into without 
careful consideration; therefore I asked 
for time to dwell on the proposition. 
He returned to his duties at Clayton, 
and some weeks thereafter I concluded 
to visit a sister living some miles from 
Clayton. After spending a week there, 
on Saturday afternoon, looking down 
the road, we beheld my friend, Mr. 
Clayton, approaching through a dread- 
ful rain storm. It had been raining all 
the afternoon, but notwithstanding rain 
and storm, love stimulated him to en- 
counter all difficulties, however great, 


44. White and Black Under the Old Regime, 





to hear the decision. Next morning 
one of the neighbors came over to visit 
the family and finding Mr. Clayton 
present, he expressed much astonish- 
ment, saying: 

“When did you come out, Mr. Giee 
ton ?” 

He replied, “Yesterday afternoon.” 

Whereupon this neighbor said: 

“The weather was very inclement, 
very inclement indeed.” 

This remark and_ his suspicious 
manner were very funny to us who had 
decided to travel life’s path together. 

This was in September, and on the 
ninth day of January thereafter, in the 
year 1850, we were married at my 
father’s house in Eufaula. I was in 
my eighteenth year and Mr. Clayton in 
his twenty-second, a youthful couple, 
happy and joyous, full of hope for the 
long future that lay before us. 


He took me to a dear little home in 


Return Home. 45 


Clayton where we began house-keeping, 
with three servants: my cook, Harriet, 
inherited from my mother’s estate; a 
boy, Ned, given my husband by his 
father; and little Annie, Harriet’s 
daughter. 

Attached to our home was a field, and 
Ned cultivated that in addition to the 
duties about the yard. We kept a horse 
and buggy and in this way could have 
the land cultivated, and use the horse 
for pleasure driving, too. We made 
food for our horse and cow, and secured 
many little luxuries for ourselves, none 
of which we enjoyed more than the 
sugar-cane as we sat by the cheerful 
hearth during the long winter evenings. 
I found little Annie not only useful in 
saving me steps, but a real comfort 
when I was left alone. I soon -became 
very much attached to her and she was 
like my shadow, following me every- 
where. 


46 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 








Mr. Clayton apphed himself closely 
to his business, and, as every lawyer 
knows, had a great deal of writing to 
do; more than is often required now, 
because then there was more money in 
circulation and consequently more liti- 
gation. He would bring his books 
home at night, and after tea I would 
call for him as he would write, thus 
enabling him to finish his allotted task 
very soon. ‘hen we would spend some 
time reading Shakespeare and other 
standard writers. 

Here in this little cottage we spent 
many happy days, and here it was I 
experienced the joy of becoming a 
mother. 

“For all unfinish’d was Love’s jeweled ring, 
Till set with this soft pearl; 

How pure, how perfect seem’d the gift to me.” 

One of the loveliest pictures in nature 
is a young mother with her first born. 
And nothing develops the good in 


‘DIF ‘U0jfhDdID 1V 


"pRIsoMoy uoML[D PIO 242 


vay ie gi 
yl 
Weesul 


ne 
* 





LIBRARY 
OF THE 
UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS 


Return Home. 4.7 


woman like becoming a mother; her 
whole heart goes out in charity to the 
world. 

We lived in this house two years, 
when my husband having saved up 
enough money, purchased a farm near 
by, and we came into the inheritance of 
more slaves. We sold our dear little 
first home and moved to the farm. It 
was only one mile from the court house, 
and my husband would walk to and 
from his place of business. We gath- 
ered together our slaves and began a 
new life. Rules were made and every- 
thing was organized with reference to 
the comfort of all and profit to our- 
selves. 

We had only eight grown negroes. 
One woman did the cooking for the 
whole household and the washing for 
the white family. I, with the help of 
my little girl, Annie, discharged the 
other duties of the house. The negroes 


48 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


were all called up early in the morning 
and went to the field before breakfast. 
The breakfast was prepared and sent to 
them. Their breakfast generally con- 
sisted of meat, ordinarily bacon, some- 
times beef, hot coffee, and bread. At 
twelve o'clock they all returned to the 
house to feed the mules, eat their mid- 
day meal, and rest. The dinner con- 
sisted of meat, vegetables of different 
kinds, and bread, often fruit ples, 
especially in the summer season, and 
old fashioned pot pies cooked in a big 
oven. Apples baked with honey was a 
great dish for all at our house. After 
two hours’ rest, the slaves returned to 
the field and remained until the setting 
sun warned them of the near approach 
of night. The evening meal was gener- 
ally hghter than the others, milk taking 
the place of meat. Many of our farm- 
ers weighed out the rations weekly to 
their hands, letting them prepare their 


Return Home. 49 


own meals; but my husband adopted his 
father’s way of doing: having their 
meals cooked for them, so that the time 
allotted for rest could be spent literally 
at rest. | 

My reason for giving our usual bill 
of fare for our slaves is the many erron- 
eous ideas on this subject. I recall an 
instance. A book agent from one of the 
Eastern States called one day to see if 
we would take one of his books. He 
was invited in and treated very politely. 
After an hour’s conversation about the 
negro in the South, he asked if we fed 
them on cotton seed. We called in an 
old colored woman, who, when a slave, 
was the property of my father-in-law. 
She, after freedom, went to live with 
one of her grandchildren near Opelika, 
and Mr. Clayton hearing, while holding 
court in Opelika, that her children were 
unkind to her, had brought her to our 


home and we were taking care of her in 


50 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


her old age. Aunt Rose answered his 
numerous questions and amused us all 
very much. 

In my home management I always 
tried to have an abundance of food for 
the entire family, but never forgot the 
injunction of our Lord after He had fed 
the five thousand persons. He said, 
“Gather up the fragments, that nothing 
be lost.” I was brought up to believe 
that economy should be practised in all 
things as a Christan duty, and if one 
have more than one needs it should be 
divided with those who have not. “The 
poor ye have always with you.” Think- 
ing that the women would enjoy cooking 
a meal occasionally for their families, 
the custom adopted was that they should 
come on Saturday with their vessels to 
receive flour, sugar, lard, and other 
necessaries, besides the daily rations 
given them to cook. Each woman was 
provided with cooking utensils in her 


Return Home. 51 


own home and was permitted to prepare 
food when not engaged in the regular 
labor for the day. Often on Sunday 
morning we have passed their doors and 
seen families gathered around tables on 
which very tempting breakfasts were 
spread. The women were all taught to 
cook plain food. They particularly 
excelled in making good beaten biscuits 
and plain corn bread. 

By and by the family became large, 
both through natural increase of the 
negroes, and because my husband, at the 
close of each year, having saved up 
money enough to invest in something to 
increase our income, was naturally dis- 
posed to. invest in slaves as being then 
the most available and profitable prop- 
erty in our section of the country. 

We never raised the question for one 
moment as to whether slavery was right. 
We had inherited the institution from 
devout Christian parents. Slaves were 


UNIVERSITY OF 
ILLINOIS LIBRARY 


52 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


held by pious relatives and friends and 
clergymen to whom we were accustomed 
to look up. The system of slave-hold- 
ing was incorporated into our laws, and 
was regulated and protected by them. 
We read our Bible and accepted its 
teachings as the true guide in faith and 
morals. We understood literally our 
Lord’s instructions, to His chosen peo- 
ple, and apphed them to our cireum- 
stances and surroundings. “Both thy 
bond-men, and thy bond-maids, which 
thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen 
that are round about you; of them shall 
ye buy bond-men and_ bond-maids. 
Moreover, of the children of the strang- 
ers that sojourn among you, of them 
shall ye buy and of their families that 
are with you, which they begot in your 
land; and they shall be your possession. 
And ye shall take them as an inherit- 
ance for your children after you, to 
inherit them for a possession ; they shall 


Return Home. 58 


be your bond-men forever; but over 
your brethren the children of Israel, ye 
shall not rule one over another with 
rigour” (Levit. xxiv. 44). 

We understood how an angel of the 
Lord recognized the right of Sarai, 
Abram’s wife, to the services of her 
slave, Hagar, and when she was running 
away, sent her back to her mistress. 

“And the angel of the Lord found her 
by a fountain of water in the wilder- 
ness, by the fountain in the way to 
Shur. 

“And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, 
whence comest thou? and whither wilt 
thou go? And she said, I flee from the 
face of my mistress Sarai. 

“And the angel of the Lord said unto 
her, Return to thy mistress, and submit 
thyself under her hands” (Gen. xvi. 
9). 

We noticed also how, under the 


54. White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





Christian Dispensation, St. Paul did 
the same thing in a similar case: 

“Hearing of thy love and faith which 
thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and 
toward all saints ; 

“That the communication of thy 
faith may become effectual by the ac- 
knowledging of every good thing which 
is in you in Christ Jesus. 

“For we have great joy and consola- 
tion in thy love, because the bowels of 
the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. 

“Wherefore, though I might be much 
bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which 
is convenient, 

“Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech 
thee, being such an one as Paul the 
aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus 
Christ. | 

“T beseech thee for my son Onesimus, 
whom I have begotten in my bonds: 

“Which in time past was to thee un- 


Return Home. 55 


profitable, but now profitable to thee 
and to me: 

“Whom I have sent again: thou 
therefore receive him, that is mine own 
bowels” (Philemon 5-12). 

And how the same apostle declared 
the mind of Christ upon the duties of 
slaves: 

“Let as many servants as are under 
the yoke count their own masters 
worthy of all honour, that the name of 
God and His doctrine be not blas- 
phemed. | 

“And they that have believing mas- 
ters, let them not despise them, because 
they are brethren; but rather do them 
service, because they are faithful and 
beloved, partakers of the benefit. 

“These things teach and exhort. 

“Tf any man teach otherwise, and 
consent not to wholesome words, even 
the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and 


56 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


to the doctrine which is according to 
godliness, 

“We is proud, knowing nothing, but 
doting about questions and strifes of 
words, whereof cometh envy, strife, 
railings, evil surmisings, 

“Perverse disputings of men of cor- 
rupt minds, and destitute of the truth, 
supposing that gain is godliness: from 
such withdraw thyself” (I. Tim. vi. 
1-5). 

And how he instructed St. Titus to 
exhort slaves to be obedient to their 
masters and to serve them faithfully: 

“Exhort servants to be obedient unto 
their own masters, and to please them 
well in all things; not answering again ; 

“Not purloiming, but showing all 
good fidelity; that they may adorn the 
doctrine of God our Saviour in all 
things” (Titus xi. 9, 10). 

And how St. Peter gave the same 


instructions to Christian. slaves: 


Return Home. 57 





“Servants, be subject to your masters 
with all fear; not only to the good and 
gentle, but also to the forward” (I. 
Peter xi. 18). 

We simply and naturally understood 
that our slaves must be treated kindly 
and cared for spiritually, and so they 
were. We felt that we were respons- 
ible to God for our entire household. 

I found it necessary to keep two 
cooks now instead of one, as heretofore. 
Every morning I would take my key 
basket on my arm and make the rounds, 
giving out to each cook the various 
articles of food to be cooked for both 
white and colored families for the ensu- 
ing day. I gave the preparation of the 
food my careful attention. And their 
clothes were comfortable, each garment 
cut out with my own hands. 

In these days of plenty there was a 
meat house filled with good home-cured 
meat, a cellar filled with sugar, syrup, 


58 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


wine, 
vine gar, 
and soap, 
a potato 
house fill- 
ed with 
Sweet po- 
Tatoes, 
and also 
a 8 Lote 





room con- 


ON INSPECTION SUNDAY MORNING. 


taining 
the breadstuffs, and so forth. 

We regarded slavery in a patriarchal 
sense. We were all one family, and, 
as master and mistress, heads of this 
family, we were responsible to the God 
we worshipped for these creatures to a 
very great extent, and we felt our re- 
sponsibility, and cared for their bodies. 

As to their religious training, every 
Sunday morning the mothers brought 
their little ones up to see me. Then I 
could satisfy myself as to the care they 


Return Home. 59 





gave them, whether they had received a 
bath and suitable clothing for the holy 
day. Later the larger children pre- 
sented themselves to be taught the Cate- 
chism. I used the little Calvary Cate- 
chism, prepared by Mrs. D. C. Weston. 
The adults were permitted to attend the 
different churches in town as_ they 
pleased, but when the sun hid himself 
behind the western hills, all were com- 
pelled to return home to feed and care 
for the horses, cows, ete. When the 
evening meal was over my dining room 
was in readiness for the reception of all 
the grown members of the family. 
They gathered there and took their 
respective seats. They were taught the 
Creed of the Holy Apostohe Church, 
the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Com- 
mandments; that is, all who could be 
taught, for some of them never could 
learn to repeat them, but understood the 
meaning sufficiently to lead a right life. 


60 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


Sometimes I would read a short sermon 
to them. They sang hymns, and we 
closed with prayer to our Heavenly 
Father. 


“Glorious is the blending 

Of right affections, climbing or descending 
Along a scale of light and life with cares 
Alternate.” 


Just at this time we were visited by 
a great sorrow. The dread angel of 
death entered our happy, peaceful home 
and bore away our dear first-born son. 
We tried to submit, and to say as Job 
did in his affliction: ‘What! Shall 
we receive good at the hands of God, 
and shall we not receive evil ?” 
“There is no flock however watched and tended 

But one dead lamb is there. 


There is no fireside howsoe’er defended 
But has one vacant chair.”—Longfellow. 


Herr we lived in this quiet country 
home for some years, my husband going 
in to his business every morning, and I 


Return Home. 61 





always busy at home caring for our 
family, both white and black. Every 
little negro on the place would come to 
me if he thought he received injustice 
at the hands of any one. These little 
negroes would hunt the hens’ nests and 
bring me the eggs, and receive one or 
more eggs for their trouble and honesty. 
They were always happy in their inno- 
cent childhood. And these same ne- 
eroes now, after all the changes, when- 
ever I meet them, express their love for 
me in every possible way. 

In 1855 all of our children had 
whooping cough, and my third child, a 
sweet babe of eight months, and also a 
colored child of the same age, were 
taken from us. 


IV. 


THE KANSAS EPISODE—SEEING THE 
COUNTRY, 


HIS brings us to 1856, when Kan- 

sas Territory was seeking admis- 

sion into the Union as a state. All the 
Southern people were interested in hav- 
ing it admitted as a slave state, conse- 
quently were desirous of sending out 
emigrants to settle there. A consider- 
able amount of money was contributed 
for the purpose by the States of Ala- 
bama and Georgia. This money was 
entrusted to my husband for the pur- 
pose of taking out a body of emigrants 
and settling them in the Territory so as 
to secure their votes for the South in the 


coming election. 








General fh. D. Clayton, 


In the Kansas War. 





The Kansas Episode. 63 





On the first day of August he was 
ready to leave, and wishing me to ac- 
company him, our children were left 
with their grandmother. My hus 
band’s brother was living with us, and 
we knew that our faithful old black Joe, 
and his wife, Nancy, now my cook, 
would do all they could to have things 
progress satisfactorily on the plantation 
during our absence. Thus we left our 
home, our interests, to do what we 
thought a good for our country. How 
differently we would have acted had we 
possessed the eye of prophecy to look 
into the eventful future that lay before 
us! But it is, I think, a kind and mer- 
ciful Providence which hides the future 
from us. “Sufficient unto the day is 
the evil thereof.” 

We left Eufaula, Alabama, early in 
August, gathering emigrants at every 
station as we journeyed through the 
two states. Finally they were all gath- 


64 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


ered under Mr. Clayton as leader, and 
they numbered about one hundred. We 
traveled by rail until we reached Nash- 
ville, Tenn. There a boat was char- 
tered and we all took passage down the 
Cumberland. The river was very low 
and full of shoals at all times, and par- 
ticularly so at this time, consequently 
we experienced a tedious time getting 
on in our journey. Sometimes the boat 
would be fast bound on a bar in the 
river and the crew would tie a large 
rope to a tree on shore, and by means of 
a windlass in front and the men lifting 
at the same time, they would succeed in 
moving forward. 

Finally, after much patient waiting, 
we reached Cairo, where the Cumber- 
land empties into the Great Father of 
Waters. Here our tents were spread 
on the banks of the river, and I, for the 
first time in my life, slept under so light 


The Kansas Episode. 65 


a covering from the dews as a tent. I 
eared not for this. 

“Hope, like the glimmering taper’s light, 

Adorns and cheers the way.” 

Our meals were brought us from a 
restaurant in the town, and we ate, like 
our soldiers, picnic style, and drank our 
coffee from the humble tin cup. After 
breakfast a cry was heard, “A boat, a 
boat!” And very soon, to our great de- 
light, the beautiful steamboat, “‘Mattie 
Wayne,” came into view. On it we 
took passage at once for St. Louis. The 
boat was splendid in every way and the 
fare was sumptuous. There was only 
one thing to make me uncomfortable 
during my stay on this beautiful steam- 
er, and that was seeing the chamber- 
maid, a neat looking white woman, sit 
down to the table to take her meals in 
company with the black men who were 
waiters on the boat. I had never seen 
anything like it before. We loved our 


66 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


black servants, but they always had 
their dining table separate. The idea 
of seeing a white woman sit down to the 
table to eat with these black men was 
shocking to me. 

On arriving at St. Louis we changed 
boats and were soon ascending the 
muddy waters of the Missouri River. 
At last Kansas City was reached, but 
before we landed on the shore, the news 
of war reached our ears. The greatest 
‘excitement prevailed. Men, coming 
from every quarter, formed themselves 
into an army to expel a band, whose 
leaders were Brown, of Harper’s Ferry 
renown, and a man by the name of 
Lane. This band was marching from 
home to home destroying property, and 
even burning down houses and turning 
women and children out homeless on the 
prairies, because of difference in poli- 
tics. They too were interested as to 
how the Territory should come into the 


The Kansas Episode. 67 


Union, hence were using these means 
for the accomplishment of their pur- 
pose. | 

We went to a hotel in a small place 
called Westport, now swallowed up in 
the great city called Kansas City. Mr. 
Clayton and his men at once offered 
their services to these Missourians who 
were determined to put a stop to the out- 
rages being committed by these disturb- 
ers of the peace. They immediately 
went into camp equipped as rough sol- 
diers with red flannel shirts, corduroy 
pants, canteens, cartridge boxes, and so 
forth. 

Refugees from homes on the prairies 
filled almost every house, and I heard 
grey-headed women tell sad tales of the 
annoyances they had received at the 
hands of this lawless band. The 
women and children of our party were 
all provided for at the hotel. The first 


night, my husband said to me: 


68 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


“Victoria, I dislike to leave you, very 
much, but should I stay with my wife 
the men would think that they should 
be allowed the same privilege.” 

Being their captain made it more 
imperative that he do his whole duty, 
consequently he shared the camp with 
them. 

Before leaving me, however, he 
taught me how to use a pistol should it 
become necessary. The pistol he gave 
me was loaded and ready for use. I 
slept with this instrument of death 
under my pillow for weeks. My room 
at the hotel opened on a veranda, and 
on that veranda numbers of these rough 
soldiers were sleeping. All the sur- 
roundings were appalling to any one, 
particularly to a gently nurtured 
woman. 

My door had no fastening, so I drew 
my trunk up against it to keep it closed, 
placed my trust in an Almighty Father, 


The Kansas Episode. 69 


and prayed as the sweet Psalmist of 
Israel once did: “Be merciful unto 
me, O God, be merciful unto me: for 
my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the 
shadow of Thy wing will I make my 
refuge, until these calamities be over- 
past.” I laid me down to sleep and 
awoke next morning refreshed from the 
unmolested slumbers of the night. 

It was so unpleasant, however, at this 
public place that I said to Mr. Clayton 
after we had breakfasted: 

“Do get mé board in a quiet family 
in which I may remain while you are 
away in camp, or perhaps battle.” 

He sent out one of his men to canvass 
the surrounding country to procure a 
temporary home for two ladies and my- 
self. He was gone many hours and 
returned, saying every house was al- 
ready filled. 

I then asked permission to go in 
search of a place myself, as I thought I 


70 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


could plead our cause successfully. His 
reply was: 

“Get your hat, we will go.” 

In the distance we saw a large brick 
house situated between Kansas City and 
the little village of Westport. A walk 
of about a mile through the sweet morn- 
ing air brought us to the stone steps of 
this building. On them Mr. Clayton 
sat down, and motioned me to enter. I 
was met at the door by a middle aged 
woman, who invited me in very kindly. 
I at once told her my business. Where- 
upon she said: , 

“T regret that my rooms are all occu- 
pied, therefore will be obliged to turn 
you away.” 

I laid before her the whole situation 
and said: 

“Tt looks hard that we ladies, so many 
hundred miles from our homes and 
friends, while our husbands are going 
out to defend your homes and property, 


The Kansas Episode. OL 





cannot procure a safe and comfortable 
place to remain in during their stay in 
the army.” 

Her woman’s heart was touched by 
this appeal, so she said: 

“My dining room is quite large. 
Come and see if you ladies can accom- 
modate yourselves there. If so, I will 
move my dining table into my own bed 
room and thus spare the dining room to 
you.” 

I found it large and airy, detached 
somewhat from the main building. I 
thanked her and accepted the kind offer. 
We were very soon domiciled in our new 
apartments. One of the ladies, Mrs. 
Reynolds, was a Massachusetts woman, 
who had came South as a teacher and 
married a printer in Georgia. She had 
no children. The other lady was a 
Southern woman, Mrs. Snow, from 
Alabama, and she had five little chil- 
dren. This made a large number to 


72 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


occupy one apartment. However, 
“Necessity is the mother of invention,” 
so we very soon, with the use of cur- 
tains, had two apartments instead of 
one. Mrs. Snow, with her little chil- 
dren occupied one, and Mrs. Reynolds 
and myself the other. 

Before the last farewells were said 
preparatory to going in quest of the 
enemy, the men entrusted their treas- 
ures to my keeping; the largest and 
most valuable being the thousands of 
dollars designed for the purpose of buy- 
ing lands and settling the families 
which had come from the far South to 
make their homes in Kansas. This 
money I wore around my waist, but I 
was so careful to conceal this valuable 
girdle that my room-mate knew not of 
its presence until the return of the men 
and the delivery of it to them. Many 
little keepsakes were also in my keep- 
ing. Among the various articles was a 


The Kansas Episode. 73 





Masonic badge given me by a Mason. 
On entrusting it to me he said: 

“Mrs. Clayton, in the event we are 
killed and you left in sorrow, find a 
Mason, show him this, tell him of your 
trouble, and you will surely find a 
friend.” 

I guarded these precious things each 
night with a loaded pistol under my 
pillow. 

This was my first experience with the 
terrible thing called war, but, oh, not 
my last. The men were for some days 
quartered miles out on the prairie pre- 
paring for the conflict. Here I made 
my first visit to a military camp. As 
this army advanced, the enemy fell 
back, and there were only a few skir- 
mishes with the loss of a few men, when 
several thousand United States troops, 
under command of Gen. Gary, arrived. 
Some of the Missourians joined this 


74. White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


command, and very soon comparative 
peace was restored. 

We found our land-lady exceedingly 
courteous and kind tous. She had vast 
apple orchards laden with fruit to 
which we had unlimited access, and we 
always had some of the choicest fruit, 
gathered with loving hands, ready for 
the enjoyment of our good men when 
they could get off from camp to make us 
a visit. 

After peace was restored sufficiently, 
Mr. Clayton selected and purchased 
lands, wagons, horses, oxen, ete., and 
saw each family provided with the nec- 
essaries for the making of a comfortable 
home. In return for this they were to 
cast their votes for the interest, as we 
then thought, of our beloved South. 
The object of our journey being accom- 
plished, we wished to see the country. 
So Mr. Clayton procured a small wagon 
and a pair of mules. Luckily, the 


The Kansas Episode. 7D 


wagon was provided with springs, other- 
wise our riding would have been very 
fatiguing. 

In company with Mr. Clayton’s as- 
sistant, Mr. Danforth, and a voung man 
from Montgomery, Mr. Reed, we started 
out to see this great country, going 
to Lecompton first. The hotel there 
was being built, the outer walls up, 
and the roof covered, but no partitions 
dividing the rooms were finished. The 
room assigned Mr. Clayton and myself 
was divided off by means of pieces of 
carpet and matting hung around. The 
windows had sashes, but no glass. We 
remained here several days, and were 
awakened one night by what the natives 
called a Norther, the wind blowing and 
howling and the building shaking. 
Just think of it, not a pane of glass in 
either window! We managed to get 
through the dark hours by pulling the 
bed clothes over our heads. Next 


76 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


morning it would have been laughable 
to one to have seen us looking for the 
clothes we had deposited on the chairs 
the previous night. We finally gath- 
ered our garments together, and made 
our toilet as well as circumstances 
would allow. It was so cold that I re 
paired to the kitchen after breakfast to 
get warm. Fortunately this cold spell 
was of short duration. The vegetables 
here were abundant and delicious. 

While in Lecompton, an old citizen 
of Alabama, a rough countryman, Mr. 
Blake Justus, who had moved here some 
two years previous, hearing that we 
were in town, came to see us. I had 
. never met the old man before. I was 
introduced to him and he thus addressed 
me: 

“Well, Madam, this is a fine country 
on men and horses, but h—Ill on women 
and oxen.” 


The Kansas Episode, ce: 


I thought from observation that he 
was very near right. 

We visited a number of towns and 
saw fine crops growing all along the 
road. The corn was so thick in the 
rows that it appeared to have been sown , 
instead of dropped, as we were accus- 
tomed to see. 

In Tecumseh the inhabitants seemed 
to be afflicted with chills. I saw several 
children in the same bed shaking at the 
same time, and in a few hours they were 
up eating water-melons. 

The lands appeared to be exceedingly 
productive, but, oh, the powerful winds 
that swept over these vast prairies! I 
heard a man say that he could put his 
hand behind him and feel the wind 
blowing entirely through him. The 
people who lived there said it was with 
difficulty they kept locks on their doors 
on account of the winds. 

On our return to the borders of 


78 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


Missouri, we stopped some little time in 
the town of Lawrence, and we judged 
the time of our arrival must have been 
the weekly baking day from the display 
of pies, bread, and other good things 
.taken from the oven. 

In passing through the Territory we 
observed quite a number of white men 
with Indian squaws for wives. I pre- 
sumed that they had gone out to the 
reservation and married these women 
for their lands. 

I recall one peculiar incident in our 
experience with the Indians. We had 
occasion to go into the house of one of 
these people on the roadside to rest 
while the mules were being fed. It was 
a kind of public house, I suppose. In 
the apartment we entered there were 
about a dozen men and women sitting 
around. They said not a word, but 
bowed their heads and went out, one by 
one, until we were quite alone. 


The Kansas Episode. 79 


When we reached Kansas City on our 
return, we called at our former board- 
ing house to bid our kind friends adieu. 

The month of October had come, and 
we saw the fruits of this country in 
the bountiful gathering harvest. Mrs. 
vans, our land-lady, sent her apples to 
distant markets for sale, but. not until 
they were dried. The negroes brought 
them in from the orchards by wagon 
loads and stored them in cellars. After 
supper a basket-full would be brought 
into the sitting-room, and the children 
would peal, core and slice them ready 
for drying. ‘And in this way they were 
prepared for market. 

The soil around Kansas City was fine 
and quite black. After a rain it was 
very slippery. Mrs. Reynolds and I 
went out to walk after a shower one day, 
and thought we would descend a hill 
hunting a spring, as we had just seen a 


boy coming from that direction with a 


SO White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





pail of water on his head. A_ pecul- 
larity of our negroes was to carry all 
burdens on their heads — something a 
white person is unable to do. When we 
reached the brow of the hill and started 
to go down, we traveled with more ve- 
locity than we had ever done before, and 
in a few minutes reached the bottom, 
not, however, without leaving the marks 
of our feet. and hands all the way. You 
may be sure, we were two astonished 
women. On our return we had to put 
our ingenuity to work to get up to the 
point we had started from. The ladies 
laughed heartily at us and*insisted that 
I should become a border ruftian, as also 
Mrs. Reynolds; for they thought we 
could so well adapt ourselves to cireum- 
stances. 

Here the fires were made of walnut 
wood. I went into the kitchen and saw 
the old colored aunty trying to kindle 
her fire by whittling up this wood into 


The Kansas Episode. 81 





splinters, and I said to her, “‘Aunty, if 
you were in Alabama you could get 
what we call fat splinters, and soon have 
a great blaze crackling in your stove.” 
She had never heard of lightwood or fat 
splinters before. JI explained that it 
was pine wood full of turpentine and 
that was why it burned so readily. All 
their fires were of wood, as they had not 
commenced the use of coal. 


Ve 


RETURN TO ALABAMA—HOME INCI- 

DENTS— MUTTERINGS OF WAR— 

INCIDENTS AT PENSACOLA — EX- 
TEMPORE MANUFACTURING. 


R. CLAYTON, Mr. Danforth, 
and I, finally said good-bye to 
our friends, and took passage in a boat 
for St. Louis. We were in St. Louis 
several hours and spent the time sight- 
seeing. As it was Saturday afternoon, 
one of the most interesting experiences 
we had was going through the market 
beholding the great variety and quan- 
tity of food designed for consumption 
on the ensuing Sunday. 
We left St. Louis with pleasant 1m- 


pressions, and resumed our journey to- 


Return to Alabama. 83 


wards home. When we landed at 
Memphis, Tenn., it seemed almost like 
home to us. The manners, customs, 
and even the pronunciation of words 
were unlike those of the Western 
friends we had recently left. At Mem- 
phis we took the stage to Huntsville, 
Ala. We reached Huntsville just at the 
break of day. After the slow, tedious 
ride of the past night we indeed felt 
glad at the sight of the “iron horse” 
once more. Our fast travel by the rail- 
road soon brought us home. 

When we finally caught the familiar 
view of our dear home we were con- 
strained to exclaim with one of our 
Southern poets: 


“Land of the South—imperial land— 
How proud thy mountains rise! 

How sweet thy scenes on every hand— 
How fair thy evening skies! 

But not for this—oh! not for these— 
I love thy fields to roam: 

Thou hast a dearer spell for me, 


Thou art my native home!” 
| —Judge Meek. 


84 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


We found things getting along as well 
as we anticipated. The negroes were 
overjoyed at our return. Faithful old 
Joe had been true to his duty, and his 
wife, Nancy, had taken care that 
‘“Muistus” should find everything about 
the house and yard neat, clean, and in 
order on her return after the long, long 
absence. 

We at once resumed the old routine 
of daily duties, but my husband soon 
made manifest the malaria absorbed in 
his system during our sojourn in the 
West, by having chills; and before he 
was cured I was taken ill with con- 
tinued fever, and for many weeks was a 
sufferer. Nancy nursed me tenderly 
through all the long tiresome nights. 

Next spring a son was born to us, this 
making us three living children. 

Mr. Clayton was noted for his hospi- 
tality and would often bring gentlemen 
home without giving me notice, know- 


Home Incidents. 85 





ing that I had plenty in the larder and 
a willing heart to provide for all who 
came. On one occasion I remember he 
went into Eufaula, met some gentlemen, 
about a half dozen in number, going out 
to look at the country with a view to 
extending the railroad from Eufaula to 
Clayton, and invited them to our home. 
He returned with them all, leaving 
Eufaula early in the morning with no 
breakfast but a cup of coffee, and then 
making an excursion of twenty-one 
miles. They reached our home about 
ten o'clock, tired and hungry. Mr. 
Clayton came to me and said: 

“Victoria, make ready for the com- 
fort of these gentlemen. They have 
had no breakfast.” 

My cook needed only to be told that 
Master had brought friends and wished 
a good breakfast prepared as quickly as 
possible; nothing afforded her more 
pleasure. Ina short time the table was 


86 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


spread with many dishes to tempt the 
hungry gentlemen. It was the time of 
summer fruits, and nothing could be 
more appetizing in the morning than 
such freshly gathered, and nothing more 
refreshing than fragrant flowers cov- 
ered with dew, filling the dining-room 
with beauty and grateful perfume. The 
gentlemen expressed themselves very 
much delighted with the cordial wel- 
come extended them. 

In entering upon our married life 
and coming to our little cottage home, 
we were invited the first night to take 
tea with our nearest neighbor. The 
lady of the house was not expecting 
strangers to come to share family tea, 
and she made many apologies, which 
embarrassed us, as they showed us that 
she was uncomfortable. This was a 
good object-lesson to a newly married 
wife. Since that night I have always 
endeavored to make our guests feel easy 


Home Incidents, 87 





by offering no apology, but doing the 
best I could. Persons ordinarily do 
not come to see one so much for the food 
they find as for social enjoyment, and 
they always appreciate a_ heartfelt 
welcome. 

The young men of our town would 
often send out to say: 

“Mrs. Clayton, we wish to have a 
social gathering of the young people to- 
night. May we come to your house ?’ 

The reply was always: 

“Come, but come early that you may 
retire early.” 

I always. gave them refreshments. 
If too late to bake cake, I would give 
them cold ham, light bread, pickles, hot 
coffee, etc. When the guests came they 
were told that whenever they wished 
refreshments they could find them in 
the dining-room, and there was a ser- 
vant to wait on them. I believe the ser- 


88 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


vants enjoyed these informal gatherings 
as much as I did. 

Assiduous attention to business, and 
the desire to lay up something for the 
education of our children and _ the 
winter of old age, kept my husband out 
of public affairs until induced by his 
friends to represent the County of Bar- 
bour in the Legislature. In 1857 he 
was elected to the Legislature without 
opposition, and was re-elected in 1859. 
Whenever he was absent from home I 
remained to manage our children and 
the slaves. It was while he was serving 
his country as a Legislator that the mut- 
terings of the terrible war storm came 
to us. 

We of the South felt that we had be- 
come slave-holders under our common 
government with its most sacred sanc- 
tion, and, being an agricultural people, 
err property consisted mostly of slaves. 
Cur Northern brethren were a manu- 


Mutterings of War. 89 





facturing people, their property consist- 
ing of factories of various kinds, lke- 
wise with the most sacred sanction of 
our common government. We of the 
South looked to this, our common gov- 
ernment for the protection of our prop- 
erty, and felt that we did not receive 
this protection. Things had come to 
such a pass that when a delicate woman 
of the South wished to travel through 
the Northern States to recuperate her 
health, she dared not take her servant 
nurse to attend her for the fear of hav- 
ing her taken away because she was a 
slave. Yet the government permitted 
her to own that slave as property. 
Thus we were made to feel as felt and 
said Patrick Henry in reply to exac- 
tions of the British upon the colonies: 

“There no longer is any room for 
hope. We must fight. I repeat it, sir, 
we must fight. An appeal to arms and 
the God of battle is all that is left us.” 


90 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


“Had the South permitted her prop- 
erty, her constitutional rights, and her 
liberties to be surreptitiously taken from 
her without resistance and made no 
moan, would she not have lost her honor 
with them? If the alternative were be- 
tween such a loss and armed resistance, 
is it surprising that she preferred the 
latter ?’* 

These feelings and principles had des- 
cended to us from Jefferson and Madi- 
son, and had come down baptized in the 
blood of heroes of 1776. 

At this juncture, January, 1861, 
while Mr. Clayton was in the Legisla- 
ture and on the Committee of the Mili- 
_ tary, Gov. Moore issued a call for twelve 
months’ volunteers to go to Pensacola to 
relieve those who had been sent there to 
capture the Navy Yard and Forts 
Barancas and McRee. At the in- 
stance of the Clayton Guards and 

*R. M. T. Hunter. 


Mutterings of War. 91 


the Eufaula Rifles, he obtained their 
acceptance by Gov. Moore as a_ part 
of the force then called for.. He 
had been Captain of the former, and 
both of these companies composed a part 
of the then Third Regiment of Alabama 
Volunteer Corps, of which he was at 
that time the Colonel. Gov. Moore de- 
clined to accept the entire Regiment, 
although every company tendered its 
services, for the reason that two regi- 
ments only being called for, he wished 
to receive companies from all parts of 
the State. The two companies went 
into camp at Eufaula on the 17th day of 
January, 1861. Col. Clayton obtained 
leave of absence from the Legislature, 
and received instructions from the Gov- 
ernor to bring them together at Mont- 
gomery. 

Te came home to say good-bye to 
loved ones, and to tell the negroes to take 
care of his family and to be faithful 


92 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


while he should be gone. The next day 
he returned to the command at Eufaula, 
going from thence to Montgomery, 
where, on the 12th day of February, the 
companies were formally mustered into 
the military service of the State of 
Alabama for twelve months. Seeing 
that he could not prevail on the Gov- 
ernor to accept the regiment, he was 
himself mustered in as a private in the 
Clayton Guards, believing this to be his 
duty. | 

The Governor, seeing that he was de- 
termined to go, regardless of the appeals 
that he could not be spared from the 
Legislature, on the following day sent 
him a commission as Aide-de-Camp 
with instructions to take command of 
the Alabama volunteers near Pensacola, 
and organize them into a regiment as 
fast as the required number of com- 
panies should arrive. Upon the organ- 
ization of the First Alabama Regiment, 


Mutterings of War. 93 





on the 28th of March, he was elected 
Colonel. 

“These soldiers, many of them, were 
our distinguished citizens, such as 
Hons. James L. Pugh, John Cochran, 
E. C. Bullock, and others. The prompt 
and faithful discharge of all the duties 
of private soldiers by these gentlemen, 
and their earnest support of the Colonel 
in his trying ordeal of enforcing disci- 
pline among those with whom he had 
been accustomed to associate upon terms 
of equality and familiarity, were in the 
highest degree comphmentary to them- 
selves and to him. They would never 
allow themselves to be relieved of any 
duty which fell to their lot, whether on 
euard, throwing up works, or mounting 
eannon. Their cheerful compliance 
with all orders, and the influence which 
their examples exerted in stilling the 
complaints of others, can only be prop- 
erly appreciated when we remembered 


94 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


that the regiment was composed largely 
of the very first gentlemen of the coun- 
try, who had been suddenly called to- 
gether in a military camp, in the expec- 
tation of a battle; and instead of fight- 
ing, except the battle of Santa Rosa, 
and two bombardments, they were kept 
almost a year in digging in the sand 
among the fleas and mosquitoes on the 
Gulf coast.”* 

The Colonel, Mr. Clayton, was quar- 
tered in the house formerly occupied by 
the Federal officer, Col. Slemmer, who 
was then in command over at Fort 
Pickens. 

In March I went down to visit the 
soldiers, and found that several of our 
ladies had preceded me and were al- 
ready occupying houses in the Navy 
Yard. Here we had the pleasure of 
seeing our husbands quite frequently, 
and spent several months pleasantly in 


*Public Men of Alabama.—Garrett. 


Incidents at Pensacola, 95 





this beautiful place. To every house 
belonged a garden, and every garden 
was filled with lovely flowers, roses, ger- 
aniums, and many bright little annuals. 
Those sweet balmy spring days! How 
little did we realize the sorrow in store 
for us and for our whole country! 

One day an old Irish woman came to 
bring the Colonel a pair of gloves she 
had made for him, and she said to me: 

“This will be settled without any 
more bloodshed. I had my clothes out 
on the line yesterday, and drops of blood 
fell from the heavens on them, and I 
know this will be all the blood poured 
out in this war.” 

Poor, simple creature, how badly mis- 
taken she was ! 

I remained at the Navy Yard until 
June. All of our ladies made frequent 
visits to the army so near by, oftentimes 
taking dinner with the soldiers, who 
would always have something nice 


96 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


served according to camp custom. 
They procured almost everything they 
wanted in the way of eatables from Pen- 
sacola. Our supply of luxuries had not 
been exhausted so early in the war. 
Soldiers were not provided, however, 
with many things deemed indispensable 
to us at home, such as white table cloths. 

One day Gov. Moore was expected to’ 
arrive for a review of the troops, and all 
the ladies were invited to dine with him 
at the Colonel’s quarters. This being 
an extra occasion, the table was graced 
with a white cloth and loaded with a 
splendid dinner, comprising almost 
every variety of good things that the 
Pensacola market afforded, well pre- 
pared and nicely served. We had not 
noticed the material of the cloth, but 
after dinner was over, Mr. Johnston, 
the Quartermaster, said to the boy who 
waited on us: 

“Bob, where did you get your table 


Incidents at Pensacola. 97 





cloth to-day? I did not know that we 
were supplied with such a luxury.” 

He whispered: 

“Mars’ Lee, them is the Colonel’s 
sheets.” 

These pleasant days, like all earthly 
things, were soon to come to an end. 

From appearances over at Fort Pick- 
ens one night, a bombardment was an- 
ticipated, and all the camp was in the 
greatest excitement. Every woman was 
up and dressed and ready to take her 
departure towards Pensacola. During 
this excitement Mr. Johnston, who was 
Quartermaster, came to me with a quan- 
tity of gold money (having received it 
to pay the soldiers) to be entrusted to 
me for safe keeping. It was enclosed 
in a buckskin case and I fastened it 
around my waist. This was the second 
time in my life that I had the responsi- 
bility of wearing so valuable a girdle. 


98 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


This time, as before, no one shared the 
knowledge of its presence with me. 
Next day we went over to Pensacola, 
and rooms were procured for us at the 
hotel. There we remained but a short 
time, occasionally enjoying the privi- 
lege of seeing the gentlemen from across 
the bay. During our stay some ladies 
came down for the purpose of visiting 
the army. They went around through 
the country in a carriage to the camp, 
where they found so much to see and to 
interest them that they were uncon- 
scious of the flight of time; and, ere they 
knew it, night was near at hand, making 
it impossible for them to return that 
night to Pensacola. Consequently they 
were compelled to remain in camp until 
morning. The dear, unselfish, thought- 
ful soldiers soon had beds furnished 
them. They even remembered that the 
ladies were unprovided with night robes, 


and furnished them with some of their 


Incidents at Pensacola. 99 





freshly-laundered night apparel as sub- 
stitutes. Who would have expected 
men to think of so small a comfort, and 
so readily to improvise the means of 
supplying the want ? 

I returned in June to our home which 
I had left entirely in the care of ne 
groes. My husband’s brother, whom we 
had left there on going to Kansas, was 
now in the army at Pensacola. Not a 
white face was on the plantation. 
Everything had been entrusted to old 
Joe, the foreman, and Nancy, his wife. 
Joe looked after the work, stock, ete., 
and Naney had my keys, attending to 
giving rations out, feeding all, and par- 
ticularly to nursing the sick. She had 
no education except the knowledge of 
figures, and she could discern the time 
by clock or watch. She was particu- 
larly gifted with good, common sense, 
and was a most valuable help to me in 
the family, being at the same time a 


100 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





trusty servant and a friend. Every- 
thing was moving on satisfactorily as I 
anticipated. All the negroes came to 
greet me with many exclamations of Joy 
at mv return. 

I then had to begin a new occupation 
—cloth-making. Our ports were all 
closed and we could have no intercourse 
with the outside world, consequently 
everything we needed to eat or to wear 
had to be made at home. No time was 
spent in idle speculation, but I went to 
work in good earnest trying to do as the 
wise man said: “She looketh well to 
the ways of her household, and eateth 
not the bread of idleness.” 

Just as I had become deeply im- 
mersed in my new occupation I received 
a telegram: 

“The Colonel is sick. Come nurse 
him.” 

This was in August. My babe, a 
little girl of twelve months, I left with — 


Incidents at Pensacola. 101 





my friends and started off with an 
anxious heart. On reaching the army, I 
found Mr. Clayton. very sick with ty- 
phoid fever. He was not in the Marine 
Hospital with the other sick soldiers, 
but in the Surgeon’s apartments near 
by. Dr. Johnston, one of the Medical 
Corps, had him moved into his private | 
room, where I found him tenderly cared 
for by the doctors. I took my place as 
nurse by his bedside and kept it for 
many weeks. I was not so engrossed, 
however, with my patient but that I 
could occasionally visit some poor boy 
in the hospital, taking a*nice delicacy to 
remind him of his distant home and 
dear mother. I was and always will be 
under lasting obligations to these gentle 
doctors for their kindness to us. 

As soon as my patient was sufficiently 
convalescent I carried him home, and 
we were very much delighted to see all 
the slaves so rejoiced that God had 


102 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


spared him. As soon as he recovered 
his strength he returned to his post of 
duty, and I saw him no more until 
November, when I received a notice 
that he had been sent to Mobile to hold 
a Court Martial, and would probably re- 
main there some days, and wished to 
have me meet him there. 

It was an exceedingly busy time with 
us when the news came. We were haul- 
ing the sugar-cane in from the fields and 
having it made into syrup and sugar; so 
we sat up all night to finish this work 
I then made preparations and left for 
Mobile. 

At Montgomery I met a friend, who 
kindly assisted me by sending a tele 
gram to Col. Clayton, telling him that I 
was on my way, so that he could meet 
me on my arrival at Mobile. I traveled 
by rail until about midnight, when we 
reached the State line; and I was then 
obliged to take a coach for Blakely on 


War Incidents. 103 


the Mobile Bay. It was exceedingly 
dark, but, with the kind help of a gen- 
tleman, I succeeded in getting a seat in 
the coach. There were many other pas- 
sengers, all gentlemen. During the 
night the voices of some of these gentle- 
men seemed very familiar to me, but I 
said nothing. When morning came 
they proved to be friends I had met on 
my mission of mercy to the army in 
August. When we reached Blakely we 
got breakfast, and took steamer across 
the Bay for Mobile. 

On arriving, I saw Mr. Clayton on 
the wharf waiting to receive me. His 
business in Mobile consumed a week or 
more. He then returned to his post of 
duty and I to mine. 

Never for one moment did we enter- 
tain the idea of the possibility of losing 
our cause. We were full of patriotism, 
and willing to make any sacrifices for 
our country. Alas! How httle did we 


104 ‘White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





think we would eventually be called on 
to submit, and to give up the results of 
our labor for all these years of our 
young lives, and in old age to feel pri- 
vation ! 

Upon the expiration of the term of 
service of this regiment, Col. Clayton 
was requested by nearly all of the off- 
cers in it to re-organize it and retain the 
command. Fearing that, as it had be- 
come so well drilled in heavy artillery, 
it would be kept upon post duty, and 
himself desiring a more active field, he 
yielded the re-organization of the regi- 
ment to Lieutenant Colonel Stedman. 
He returned home and went up to his 
old native county of Chambers, now 
Lee, where his boyhood days had been 
spent, and where he had worked side by 
side with his father’s negroes, he taking 
charge of the plow hands and _ his 
brother Joe the hoe hands; not in the 
capacity of overseers only, but working 


Extempore Manufacturing, 105 


as well. There, too, he had gone hunt- 
ing with these same negro boys, and 
many a fat opossum had they treed and 
brought home together. Here, where 
every scene brought to remembrance 
some pleasant bygone, he called for men 
to organize a regiment for the service of 
the State. Men came in from all the 
surrounding counties, and ere many 
weeks had elapsed, his regiment was 
ready for service, and was accepted as 
the Thirty-ninth Alabama. 

While the men were preparing for 
the army, my mother-in-law came in 
every morning from her home, to 
Opelika, where they were stationed ; and 
she, with the help of the ladies of the 
town, worked on the uniforms for our 
soldiers. The clothes had been made by 
the tailors, but the ladies put on all the 
insignia, stripes, ete. Kvery lady in the 
land was enthusiastic to do all in her 
power to help. All were full of patri- 


106 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





otism. We do not regret this now, and 
it will be a source of gratification to our 
Southern women as long as they live, 
and an inheritance to their children. 


“Breathes there a man with soul so dead, 

Who never to himself hath said 

This is my own, my native land?” 

Mr. Clayton’s regiment was now 
ready for service. He came to say the 
final good-bye before entering into the 
bloody contest. Our children then num- 
bered five, and all gathering round him 
and kneeling down, he committed us to 
the care of an almighty and loving 
Father. This sad good-bye! No one. 
could conceive of its depths of sadness, 
except those who have experienced the 
hke. 

This same regiment Col. Clayton 
commanded in Bragg’s Kentucky cam- 
paign until after the battle of Murfrees- 
boro, in which he was seriously 
wounded in the right shoulder. Here 


War Incidents. a 


his brother, Joseph Clayton, who com- 
manded a company in the same regi- 
ment, was mortally wounded. After 
the battle our army fell back, and Capt. 
Joseph Clayton was necessarily left in 
the hands of the enemy. Every provi- 
sion possible was made for his comfort. 
He was placed in a small house in a 
lady’s yard, and this lady promised to 
do all she could for him. 

Col. Clayton came home on furlough, 
suffering much from his wound. He 
did not linger in the happiness of home 
and loved ones long, but hastened back 
to his command, still suffering from his 
wound, and on arriving was surprised 
by the delivery to him of a commission 
as Brigadier-General. He at once took 
charge of a _ brigade composed of 
the Eighteenth, Thirty-sixth, Thirty- 
eighth, Thirty-second, and Fifty-eighth 


Alabama regiments all combined, and 
=, 3 


108 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


assigned to the division of Major-Gen- 
eral A. P, Stewart. 

It is unnecessary to speak of the part 
taken by Clayton’s brigade in the cam- 
paign and battles that followed. Suf- 
fice it to say, that the conduct of the 
brigade and its commanding officer in 
the battles of Chickamauga, Rocky 
Face Mountain, and New Hope 
Church, brought to the latter a higher 
commission—that of Major-General. 

The sad news of Capt. Clayton’s con- 
dition reached his mother, and she, her 
strong mother’s love bearing her up, 
started in company with her daughter 
to seek him. After several days’ travel, 
they reached the Confederate forces 
under Gen. Bragg, who sent them on as 
far as his picket line in an ambulance. 
They then walked until they got into 
the line of the Federal forces in com- 
mand of Gen. Rosecrans. The earth 
was enveloped in the darkness of night, 


War Incidents, 109 
which, if possible, made it more trying 
to these ladies. The officer they met 
treated them kindly, giving them seats 
by the camp fire. They related the 
mission which had brought them, un- 
protected as they were, so far from 
home and friends and into the lines of 
the enemy. The officer immediately 
sent a courier to the General to know 
if the ladies should be permitted to seek 
the wounded man. This answer came 
quickly: “Put the ladies out immedi- 
ately.” 

The kind officer who had received 
them, I know had a mother, a sister, or, 
perhaps, a wife, whom he loved, and his 
memory of them made him extend the 
hospitality of the camp fire to these 
poor “Pilgrims of the Night.” He 
said: 

“Ladies, I cannot turn you out into 
the darkness, but will permit you to re- 
main by the camp fire till morning.” 


110 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


They were very grateful in accepting 
his kindness. When the light of day 
greeted them they began their sorrowful 
retreat. After walking some distance, 
they came to a country home, which 
they entered, and, as soon as the in- 
mates of the house knew who they were, 
they were invited in to share the family 
meal. 

After the meal was ended and the 
ladies were taking a much needed rest, 
they were aroused by a great noise and 
commotion around the premises. On 
going out on the veranda they soon dis- 
covered the cause of all this excitement. 
A foraging party from the Federal 
army was filling their wagons with 
every kind of country produce they 
eould find, some men in the smoke-house 
throwing out the meat, some running 
down and catching pigs, turkeys, 
chickens, ete., some in the dairy trying 
to consume all of its contents, several 


War Incidents, ia 





trying to drink out of one milk vessel 
at the same time. After searching and 
procuring all they wanted, the wagons 
were sent on, and the officers in com- 
mand came into the house where the 
ladies were, and asked the young ladies 
for some music on the piano, and a song. 
This reminds me of what David said of 
the Israelites when they had been taken 
captive: “By the rivers of Babylon, 
there we sat down, yea, we wept, when 
we remembered Zion. We hanged our 
harps upon the willows in the midst 
thereof. For there they that carried 
us away captive required of us a song; 
and they that wasted us required of 
us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the 
songs of Zion.” 

While there, the officer saw this old 
mother and asked of her the cause of 
her distress. She told him of her sor- 
row. He manifested considerable in- 
terest in her, saying, ““Madam, be com- 


112 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 








forted; I will seek your son and write 
you of him, and bring the letter here 
to this lady, who will get the letter 
through to you.” She then gave him 
full particulars where to find her son in 
Murfreesboro. 

The old woman was exceedingly 
touched with his kind sympathy, and 
after her return home watched anx- 
iously for the expected news from her 
son, lying in pain and suffering among 
strangers. The promised letter at last 
came, and made the hearts of the whole 
family rejoice, because it said that the 
Captain was getting well. This joy did 
not last long, for very soon the surgeon 
in charge of him came to tell the family 
that he had died ten days after being 
left by our army. I hope this officer 
did not intentionally wound these peo- 
ple by his erroneously favorable report, 
but was mistaken as to the man. 


War 


HOME TRIALS AND LABORS—CLOTH- 
MAKING — VARIOUS ILLUSTRATIVE 
INCIDENTS. 


HILE my husband was at the 

front doing active service, suf- 
fering fatigue, privations, and _ the 
many ills attendant on a soldier’s life, 
I was at home struggling to keep the 
family comfortable. 

We were blockaded on every side, 
could get nothing from without, so had 
to make everything at home; and hav- 
ing been heretofore only an agricultural 
people, it became necessary for every 
home to be supplied with spinning 
wheels and the old-fashioned loom, in 
order to manufacture clothing for the 





























114. White and Black Under the old Regime. 


members of the family. This was no 
small undertaking. J knew nothing 
about spinning and weaving cloth. I 
had to learn myself, and then to teach 
the negroes. Fortunately for me, most 
of the negroes knew how to spin thread, 
the first 
step to- 


TVAVIRINAOVIOWEALOQUILOCAUONG}/ SAC 


wards 
Cul Otte Hes 
making. 





Our work 





was hard 











and con- 
tinuous. 
To thie 
we did 





CARDING AND WEAVING. 
not ob- 


ject, but our hearts sorrowed for our 
loved ones in the field. 

Our home was situated a mile from 
the town of Clayton. On going to town 
one day I discovered a small bridge over 
which we had to pass that needed re- 


Home Trials and Labors. 115 





pairing. It was almost impassible. I 
went home, called some of our men, and 
gave them instructions to get up the 
necessary articles and put the bridge in 
condition to be passed over safely. | 
was there giving instructions about the 
work, when an old gentleman, our Pro- 
bate Judge, came along. He stopped to 
see what we were doing. When satis- 
fied, he said to me: 

“Madam, I think we will never be 
conquered, possessing such noble women 
as we do.” 

We believed our cause a righteous 
one, and that of course it would be 
crowned with success, but “Our Heav- 
enly Father” was wiser than we. 

There was no white person on the 
plantation beside myself and children, 
the oldest of whom was attending school 
in Eufaula, as our Clayton schools were 
closed, and my time was so occupied 


that it was impossible for me to teach 


116 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


my children. Four small children and 
myself constituted the white family at 
home. 

I entrusted the planting and cultiva- 
tion of the various crops to old Joe. He 
had been my husband’s nurse in in- 
fancy, and we always loved and trusted 
him. I kept a gentle saddle horse, and 
occasionally, accompanied by Joe, 
would ride over the entire plantation 
on a tour of inspection. ach night, 
when the day’s work was done, Joe came 
in to make a report of everything that 
had been done on the plantation that 
day. When Mr. Clayton was where he 
could receive my letters, I wrote him 
a letter every night before retiring, and 
in this way he, being kept informed 
about the work at home, could write and 
make suggestions about various things 
to help me manage successfully. 

We made good crops every year, but 
after the second year we planted provi- 


Cloth Making. 117% 





sion crops entirely, except enough cot- 
ton for home use. 

All the coloring matter for cloth had 
to be gathered from the forest. We 
would get roots and herbs and experi- 
ment with them until we found the color 
desired, or a near approach to it. We 
also found out what would dye cotton 
and what woolen fabrics. We had 
about one hundred head of sheep; and 
the wool yielded by these sheep and the 
cotton grown in the fields furnished us 
the material for our looms. After much 
hard work and experience we learned to 
of our cloth being really pretty. 

Our ladies would attend services in 
the church of God, dressed in their 
home-spun goods, and felt well pleased 
with their appearances; indeed, better 
pleased than if they had been dressed 
in silk of the finest fabric. 

We made good warm flannels and 
other articles of apparel for our sol- 


118 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 











diers, and every woman learned to knit 
socks and stockings for her household, 
and many of the former were sent to the 
army. 

In these dark days the Southern 
matron, when she sat down at night 
feeling that the day’s work was over, 
took her knitting in her hands as a pas- 
time, instead of the fancy work which 
ladies so frequently indulge in now. 

I kept one woman at the loom weav- 
ing, and several spinning all the time, 
but found that I could not get sufficient 
cloth made at home; consequently I 
gave employment to many a_ poor 
woman whose husband was far away. 
Many a time have I gone ten miles in 
the country with my buggy filled with 
thread, to get one of these ladies to 
weave a piece of cloth for me, and then 
in return for her labor sent her syrup, 
sugar, or any of our home produce she 
ished. 


Various Incidents. 119 





We always planted and raised large 
crops of wheat, rice, sugar cane, and po- 
tatoes. In fact, we grew almost every- 
thing that would make food for man or 
beast. Our land is particularly blessed 
in this respect. I venture to say there 
is no land under the sun that will grow 
a greater variety of products than the 
land in these Southern states. 

Being blockaded, we were obliged to 
put our ingenuity to work to meet. the 
demands on us as heads of familhes. 
Some things we could not raise; for in- 
stance, the accustomed necessary luxury 
of every home—coffee. So we went to 
work to hunt up a substitute. Various 
articles were tried, but the best of all 
was the sweet potato. The potatoes 
were peeled, sliced, and cut into pieces 
as large as a coffee bean, dried, and 
then roasted just as we prepared coffee. 
This substitute, mixed with genuine 
coffee, makes a very palatable drink for 


120 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


breakfast. My supply of coffee was like 
the widow’s barrel of meal we read of 
in the Bible, and it came to me in this 
way: 

Just as the clouds of war became vis- 
ible, Mr. Clayton laid in a large supply 
of coffee, and then, too, in the early days 
of the struggle, quite a number of ladies 
came to Clayton, refugees from New 
Orleans. The New Orleans people are 
noted for their fondness for good coffee, 
and these ladies were no exceptions to 
the rule. They brought a large quan- 
tity of it with them. 

On our place we had the finest 
orchard in Southeast Alabama, and 
often generous baskets of luscious fruit 
were sent to these ladies, who were 
boarding in town at the hotel, and in 
return I would receive packages of 
coffee, and with frugality and economy 
in the using it lasted until the blockade 
became a thing of the past. 


Various Incidents. P94 





Another accustomed luxury of which 
we were deprived was white sugar. We 
had, however, a good substitute with 
which we soon became satisfied; our 
home-made brown sugar, from the 
sugar cane. It had the redeeming qual- 
ity of being pure. One of my friends 
was going to be married, and wanted 
white sugar to frost the wedding cake. 
She came out to see if I had any on 
hand, as there was none to be bought. 
I told her that I regretted not having 
any, but could give her some of my 
brown sugar. I had frosted cakes with 
it many times. The frosting looked 
white and pretty at night, but slightly 
cream-colored in the day time. She ac- 
cepted my offer, and I presume the 
euests never knew that the sugar used 
was not of the purest white. 

We were very thankful to the benefi- 
cent Creator for all the blessings 


around us. 


122 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


We made many gallons of wine from 
the scuppernong and other grapes every 
year. One year I remember particu- 
larly. Sheets were spread under the 
long scuppernong arbors, little negro 
boys put on top to throw the grapes 
down, and grown men underneath to 
gather them in baskets as they fell. 
When brought to the house they meas- 
ured thirty-two bushels, and made one 
hundred and twenty gallons of wine. I 
did not make so large a quantity from 
the other varieties of grapes. This wine 
was kept in the cellar and used for the 
common benefit. When the negroes 
would get caught out in the rain, and 
come to the house wet, they did not hesi- 
tate to say, ‘““Muistus, please give me a 
little wine to keep cold away ;” and they 
always received it. There never was 
any ill result from the use of domestic 
wine. We were a temperate family and 


the use was invariably beneficial. 


Various Incidents. 123 





Closed in as we were on every side, 
with nearly every white man of proper 
age and health enlisted in the army, 
with the country filled with white 
women, children, and old, infirm men, 
make very comfortable clothing, some 
with thousands of slaves to be con- 
trolled, and caused through their sys- 
tematic labor to feed and clothe the peo- 
ple at home, and to provide for our 
army, I often wonder, as I contemplate 
those by-gone days of labor and sorrow, 
and recall how peacefully we moved on 
and accomplished what we did. 

We were required to give one-tenth 
of all that was raised, to the govern- 
ment. There being no educated white 
person on the plantation except myself, 
it was necessary that I should attend to 
the gathering and measuring of every 
crop and the delivery of the tenth to the 


government authorities. This one-tenth 


124 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 





we gave cheerfully and often wished we 
had more to give. 

My duties, as will be seen, were 
numerous and often. laborious; the 
family on the increase continually, and 
every one added increased labor and res- 
ponsibility. And this was the case 
with the typical Southern woman. 

As I have before remarked, we never 
questioned that we were in the right, but 
thought that if we did our whole duty 
to God and our fellow man, whether our 
equal or a slave, a just God would re- 
ward us; and I believe that our reward 
is yet to come. We treated our slaves 
kindly, as fellow beings with like pas- 
sions as ourselves, but as socially infer- 
ior to us, oceupying the place of 
‘“hewers of wood and drawers of water.” 
And during these four years of politi- 
cal darkness our slaves were faithful to 
us in all things of importance. Of 
course, in every family, however well 


Various Incidents. 125 








regulated, disturbances would some- 
times occur. The negro women would 
occasionally get into dispute about their 
children, and even come to blows, and I 
would have to assert my authority to 
quell the outbreak and make peace; but 
I truly believe these negroes regarded 
their master and myself as their best 
friends, and really loved us. 

They were not all good and honest 
like Joe and Nancy. Some were not to 
be trusted. Stealing was their great 
fault; usually something to eat. In my 
intercourse with them as mistress I 
tried to be mindful of their ignorance 
and weakness ; and to realize how easily, 
like children, they would be tempted. 
Our Lord taught us to pray, “Lead us 
not into temptation,’ and I tried to 
shield them from it by sharing every- 
thing we had in the way of food with 
them, and providing them comfortable 
and neat clothing. In spite of all this 


126 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





care, however, they would sometimes 
break the eighth commandment. 

One night during the war, or rather 
one morning just before the dawn of a 
Sunday, I heard a rap on the door, and 
a voice saying : 

‘“Mistus, don’t be frightened.” 

I arose and went to the door to know 
the cause of this unusual disturbance at 
this unearthly hour. There I found old 
Joe with one of the men. He said: 

“Mistus, yer know somebody has 
been robbin’ the apple orchard for sey- 
eral Sad’day nights. As I went down 
thar to see ef I could cetch the thief I 
hwerd a tappin at the beehive, and crept 
aroun’ thar to see who it wuz and whut 
dey wuz up to; and when I grabbed der 
man, I found I hed Nat, one of our own 
folks, stealing honey.” 

I said: | 

“Why, Nat, when the honey was 
brought in last week, your wife came 


Various Incidents. Bar 





with the other women to receive a por- 
tion for your family, and now here you 
are, stealing more. You know you can 
get anything I have by asking for it. 
Why will you steal ?” 

He promised never to do so again, 
as he had promised many times before. 
However, Nat has made a tolerably 
good freeman, at least managing to keep 
out of the penitentiary. 

I had also a negro woman who would 
steal, notwithstanding all my efforts to 
prevent it. She really loved me de- 
votedly, and I was much attached to 
her. She would take every opportunity 
to pilfer, and many times carry off 
things she really had no use for. We 
had to make our medicine as well as 
other needful articles. Some one at 
Opelika, Alabama, had an_ establish- 
ment where castor oil was made. My 
father-in-law, coming to Clayton, 
brought me a bottle of the oil, which I 


128 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


was very glad to get for use in cases of 
sickness. J kept my medicines in a 
closet, and often in going in there to 
get medicine would leave the door un- 
locked, not supposing anyone would dis- 
turb medicine. This woman was one 
of my good spinners, consequently was 
in the house the greater portion of the 
day. She knew I had the bottle of oil. 
One day I had occasion to use it, and 
found, to my utter consternation, that 
some had been taken out of the bottle. 
I called up all the servants about the 
house to inquire if they knew anything 
about the missing oil. No one seemed 
to know anything about it. A few days 
after this, however, some thread was 
taken out of the spinning room, and, 
knowing her propensity, I told her that 
I believed she had taken it and it was 
my duty to look through her house for 
it. She went along with me, and very 
soon, in my search, I found a bottle con- 


Various Incidents. 129 


cealed, and on examination it proved 
to be the lost castor oil. The thread I 
also found. I spoke kindly to her of her 
great sin in stealing, and she, as on 
numerous previous occasions, wept bit- 
terly and promised never to do the like 
again. 

Often similar unpleasant things 
would happen. Once a funny incident 
happened with my good woman, Nancy. 
We had a vast quantity of fine, very 
early peaches. She came to me to get 
permission to take a wagon load of them 
to sell. I consented, and furnished her 
with hands to help gather them. When 
she was ready to go, she washed and 
dressed up a little chap to go with her, 
to hold the horse whenever she went in 
to see if anybody wanted to buy peaches. 
Stopping in front of a lady’s house, 
Dave was sent in to ask Mrs. Wise if 
she would take some fruit. The house 
was some little distance from the street. 


130 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


He came back to the wagon, and as 
Nancy was driving off, Mrs. Wise called 
to her to stop; she said the boy had 
stolen some ornamental shells from 
around the door steps. - Thereupon 
Nancy searched his pockets and ques- 
tioned him as to whether he had taken 
them. He declared positively that he 
had not seen them. While driving 
down the next steet Nancy happened to 
look around at Dave. His hat was set- 
ting unusually high on his head. On 
removing it’ she found Mrs. Wise’s 
shells deposited on his woolly locks; he 
was sitting there as complacently as 
though nothing had happened. This 
boy, since freedom, has spent a good 
portion of his time in the penitentiary 
for stealing. 

Whenever one of our slaves was mar- 
ried, a sumptuous supper was always 
provided for the occasion, and when the 
weather was warm and suitable a table 


Various Incidents. 131 


was spread out under the trees in the 
yard. Otherwise the supper was dis- 
pensed in the dining-room, and there 
they were allowed full liberty until sup- 
per was over. ‘They enjoyed and al- 
ways appreciated this attention very 
much. 

These slaves were more like children 
than one would imagine. They were 
exempt from care more, I suppose, than 
any people on earth. Their owners pro- 
viding for all their wants, they natur- 
ally took no thought for the morrow; 
and I believe as a whole they were the 
happiest class of laborers in the world. 

Our Northern brethren heard only 
the bad side of slavery, and of course 
formed their ideas of the institution 
from these reports. I often felt that 
slavery was an evil, though I did not 
think it a sin. At any rate, it was es- 
tablished, and we were bound to do the 
best with it we could. I know the mas- 


132 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


ter was often too exacting with his 
slave, and in some instances unkindly 
so. His slave was his property, his 
money he had paid for him, and cer- 
tainly he would do nothing to injure 
his value, any more than any man 
would injure his horse, cow, or any 
other piece of property. A healthy 
negro man was worth generally a thous- 
and dollars, and his master would feel 
that it was to his interest. to take care 
of that thousand dollars. To abuse it 
would be a loss to himself, even if he 
were not actuated by any more God-like 
motive. We sincerely wish our North- 
ern brethren to give this matter, some 
thoughtful consideration, and be dis- 
posed “Gently to hear and kindly to 
judge.” 

During the four years the war lasted, 
I made frequent visits to the army. I 
held myself in readiness to go at any 
time that a summons came from my 


Various Incidents. 133 


good soldier husband. I kept my trunk 
packed with clothing bought in time of 
peace and reserved for extra occasions, 
and my little satchel hanging on the 
wall in my room, containing a bottle of 
brandy made from home fruits, medi- 
cine made from our Southern poppies, 
a paper of sugar, a candle, matches, 
etc. In my travels these articles were 
often brought into good service. Many 
a fellow traveler shared their comfort. 
If the summons came at midnight for 
me to go and see my absent one, [ would 
leave in the early morning and travel 
twenty-one miles to catch the morning 
train at Eufaula. Before leaving, how- 
ever, I would call in Joe and Nancy, 
and entrust the management of home to 
them. Nancy would take all my chil- 
dren over to one of my sisters who lived 
some two miles distant. The keys were 
left in Nancy’s care to give out to Han- 
nah the daily rations to cook for the 


134 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


negroes. If any were taken sick dur- 
ing my absence, the family physician, 
Dr. McNeil, was immediately called in, 
and they received every attention. 

When the army was near Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn., I went in company with 
a gentleman, a citizen, who was going 
to make a visit to friends in the service. 
We reached the railroad station after 
nightfall when all was in darkness. 
Where to find accommodations for the 
remainder of the night we knew not. 
After climbing as well as we could into 
the depot we remained there until day- 
light. Notwithstanding the darkness 
the station was full of travelers. Dur- 
ing our stay a woman said to me: 

“Where are you going? To see your 
good man in the army ?’ 

I replied, “Yes.” 

She then said: 

“You leave your children at home?’ 

I told her, ‘‘Yes.” 


Various Incidents. 135 


Then she asked, “Aren’t you dhry ? 
I have something and will give you a 
dhrink.” 

I thanked her, but declined her invi- 
tation. She was a good Irish woman, 
I suppose. It was so dark I could not 
see her. 

Next morning we made our way to 
the army to see our friends. As the 
gentleman with me wore a long linen 
duster, having ceased to be fastidious 
about dress in those hard times, every 
side we turned we could hear the ex- 
clamation : 

“Coat, where are you taking that 
man ?”’ 

These boys in grey had considerable 
fun at the expense of the man who wore 
the long-tail coat. 

Anothér time I went up to spend 
some weeks in camp while the army was 
in winter quarters near Dalton, Geor- 
gia. Just after Christmas, Mr. Wood, 


136 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


who lived near us and was my husband’s 
Quartermaster in the army, had come 
home on furlough. I returned to the 
army with him, taking Betsey, the wife 
of Ned, Mr. Clayton’s cook. On reach- 
ing the army I found a cozy little log 
cabin ready to receive me. In it was 
a rudely constructed bedstead filled 
with hay, and covered over with bed 
clothes that had been carried from place 
to place in the marches, a table, a shelf, 
on which sat a bucket of water and a 
washpan, a few chairs and one of the 
largest fire-places I ever saw, filled with 
great logs of wood to warm up the en- 
tire house. Here in this rough little 
cabin I spent several weeks happily. 

In coming I brought many comforts 
they were not provided with in camp— 
bed linen, table linen, ete.; and many 
luxuries in the way of food—sausages, 
coffee, all genuine, roasted and ground, 
sucar, cakes, ete. The officers’ mess had 


Various Incidents. 137 


been accustomed to only two meals a 
day—breakfast and dinner. Every 
evening I would have Betsey come into 
my cabin to make coffee and fix up such 
refreshments as we had, and invite the 
members of the mess to this humble 
abode to enjoy good cheer. Sometimes 
we would make a quantity of sugar 
candy and pull it white and nice to add 
to their pleasure. Thus passed many 
an evening with these soldier gentlemen 
during my stay. 

One night we had a snow storm. We 
could feel the soft, white flakes gently 
falling on us during the night. Some- 
how they made their way through the 
roof, which was rain-proof. J had my 
ever-ready pastime along—my knitting 
—and employed my lonely moments, 
when the men were out on duty, knit- 
ting socks and reading David Copper- 
field. 


While here, I attended religious wor- 


138 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


ship in the open air, and, for the first 
time, saw one of our clergymen conduct 
the services with his spurs on and no 
robes. This clergyman was then Dr. 
Quintard, afterward Bishop of Tennes- 
see. He was avery dear 
friend of Gen. Clayton. 
No man in the Confeder- 
ate army did more good 





service than did Dr. Quin- 
tard. He, having been a _* 


practising physician, could \ 
\ 


, NAL AR 
go into the hospitals to VEN 


\ 
x y \N\ 


minister to the unfortun- 
ates, physically as well as —_ ae 
spiritually, and then preach to the more 
fortunate on Sunday. 

In February I returned home to find 
everything progressing as it should, ex- 
cept for one thing. Hannah, who was 
the cook for the field hands, concluded 
that she would make sassafras tea in- 
stead of the usual coffee. The hands 


had been clearing new ground, and 


Various Incidents. 139 
brought a quantity of sassafras roots to 
the house, and she thought they would 
like a change. The use of this tea, I 
think, caused me to have several cases 
of pneumonia to nurse. 

I was soon immersed in the old rou- 
tine of duties, which were many. My 
children had to be looked after, and the 
welfare of our slaves, bodily and spirit- 
ually. We not only had the clothing 
to make from the wool and cotton we 
raised, but many other things had to be 
obtained, or substitutes found to take 
the place of them, as medicines, etc., ete. 

These days of war and blockade tried 
our souls. Many a time when all the 
family were wrapped in slumber and 
all nature hushed in the silence of 
night, I have walked back and forth on 
the colonnade until the clock would toll 
out the midnight hour, thinking of dear 
absent ones. These were busy days and 
sad, sad nights to the Southern matron. 


140 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


My last attempt to visit the army was 
attended with many difficulties and 
hardships. The long-continued, un- 
equal struggle was telling on our people 
and country. When I reached Atlanta, 
orders had just been received from Gen. 
Bragg, saying, ‘““Permit no citizens to 
pass, especially women.” I was in 
trouble, not knowing what to do, or 
whither to go, when a kind gentleman 
said to me: 

“Come, Mrs. Clayton, I think we can 
smuggle you into the car.” 

We started off, and on reaching the 
train found the entrance guarded by one 
of the soldiers. As soon as he found out 
I was Gen. Clayton’s wife, and wished 
to go to the army, he permitted me to 
pass into the car without delay. I had 
a basket of good things along, and fed 
many a hungry soldier on the trip. 
That night I saw a nice-looking old gen- 
tleman, whom I recognized as dear old 


Various Incidents. 141 


Bishop Elliott, whose hands had been 
laid on my head in blessing many years 
before when I was a happy young girl. 
I told him that I was Victoria Hunter, 
when he at once remembered me as one 
of the girls educated under his superin- 
tendence at Montpelier. We enjoyed 
an hour in sweet conversation about the 
past. He was a holy servant of the 
Master, and one of the handsomest men 
I ever knew. When at college his fel- 
low students called him Stephen the 
Magnificent, because of his handsome 
face and the benevolence beaming from 
his every feature. 

When I arrived at Dalton the hotels 
were all closed, and it was almost night. 
Two other ladies besides myself were 
the only ladies that went from Atlanta 
in that long train of cars filled with sol- 
diers. When we found no accommoda- 
tions were to be had in Dalton we did 


not know what to do. Ned, my hus- 


142 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 
band’s cook, had been home on a fur- 
lough and I was taking him back; and, 
to add to my trouble, on arriving at Dal- 
ton Ned and my trunks were missing. 
I cannot say what we would have done 
had it not been for a minister who came 
up on the train with us and saw our sit- 
uation. Mr. Ely, who proved to be a 
friend indeed, started off to find us a 
resting place, and soon returned to es- 
cort us to our respective places. I was 
fortunate in getting into the house of 
a Baptist preacher. He and his daugh- 
ter, a sweet young lady, were very kind 
to me. 

Next morning I went down to take 
the train for the army, and found, to 
my dismay, that it had been gone for 
some time, the schedule having been 
changed that very morning. Ned was 
there, however, with the luggage, all 
safe. A lady in Atlanta had lost her 
trunk and wanted mine to make up the 


Various Incidents. 143 


loss, and he being detained, was left 
until the next train. I was again at a 
loss whither to turn, but concluded best 
to go back to my new-found friends. 
Before many hours had passed, Mr. 
Ely, seeing a group of soldiers convers- 
ing, drew near them and discovered that 
Gen. Clayton was one of the number; 
he had left the army on a few days’ fur- 
lough to recuperate his health, as he was 
quite unwell. Mr. Ely told him that I 
was in Dalton and brought him where 
I was. I proceeded no farther on my 
journey, but in company with my hus- 
band returned to Opelika, the home of 
his parents. I had taken one of my 
little boys along with me to show him 
the army. He was much disappointed 
that I went no further. Gen. Clayton 
remained with us about three days, then 
returned to his post of duty. 

After this I never attempted another 
visit to the army. Times became too 


144 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





stormy for ladies to venture there. 
Rumors of Northern troops making 
raids and committing all kinds of depre- 
dations through the Southern states 
came to us frequently. Being so far 
south we were not disturbed by them 
until the war was almost ended. Our 
Postmaster, Mr. Petty, sent one morn- 
ing in the ever-to-be-remembered spring, 
to let me know the startling news had 
been received that Gen. Grierson, with 
a detachment of Union soldiers, was 
passing through adjacent counties, and 
would probably reach Clayton very 
soon. J had old Joe called in and told 
him what had come. The old man 
seemed very much troubled. He said 
little, but that night, after all the family 
had retired and were wrapped in un- 
conscious sleep, he came to consult me 
about secreting some provisions before 
the arrival of these hostile troops, fear- 
ing they might destroy these necessary 


Various Incidents. 145 


articles and leave us in a state of want, 
as they had done in many instances. I 
said, “Well, Joe, you can do so if you 
wish.” 

He took his shovel and spade and 
went into the vegetable garden, which 
was quite large, as it furnished supphes 
for the entire family, white and colored. 
He began digging in good earnest and 
soon had a large opening made to re- 
ceive the things, but could not finish it 
in one night. Fortunately, the garden 
was situated in an entirely different d1- 
rection from the negro quarters, so that 
in going out to work next morning the 
hands did not discover the excavation 
that had been made in the night. 

The next night he worked away until 
it was sufficiently large to hold what we 
thought necessary, then came to let me 
know that he was ready to make the 
transfer. With my basket of keys we 
went out to select the articles—bacon, 


146 White and Black Under the old Regime. 


sugar, syrup, wine, and many other 
things. After putting these things in 
the excavation, with hard work he cov- 
ered them over, put earth on top until 
the great hole was entirely hid. Next 
morning after starting all to work he 
returned to the house, went into the 
garden, laid off the place where the 
things were hid in rows with a plow, 
and set out cabbage plants, so that in 
a few days they were growing as peace- 
fully as though nothing but mother 
earth was resting beneath them. No 
one knew of this except Joe, his wife, 
Nancy, and myself, until peace was 
restored. 

The scene was really amusing the day 
Joe called several of the men to assist 
him in restoring these numerous things 
to the places whence they had been 
taken so many weeks before. Remoy- 
ing the cabbage, opening the ground, 
and finding what was secreted there, 


Various Incidents. 147 


was indeed a revelation to them, and 
their amazement was funny. They 
were curious. to know when and how 
these things had gotten in there. 

Annie, my house woman, said to me, 
when she knew the Yankees were com- 
ing: 

“Mistus, give me your silver; I will 
take care of it until the Yankees are 
gone.” 

I told her to take it. One man took 
the gun, and so the valuables were 
divided out to these slaves for safe-keep- 
ing, and all proved faithful to the trust. 
The gold and silver money in the house 
I myself buried, in the dead of night, 
under a rose bush in my flower garden ; 
and when our fears had been dissipated 
it was with some difficulty that I at last 
discovered its hiding place. 

The day we knew the command 
would reach Clayton I instructed my 
cook, Nancy, to prepare the best and 


148 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


most abundant dinner possible, fearing 
that these Union soldiers would feel 
that they could with impunity treat me 
badly because my husband had taken so 
prominent a part in what they called 
the Rebellion. Knowing somewhat of 
human nature, I thought a good dinner 
would tend to conciliate them; but 
never did I mean to compromise my 
dignity as a lady of our fair Southland. 

We were all excitement, expecting 
every moment to see the enemy come in 
sight. About noon the glittering bayo- 
nets were discerned in the distance. 
We watched with fear and trembling 
until the whole command had passea 
the road which turned towards our 
home, and not the face of one Yankee 
did we see. The reason they passed me 
by was explained to me afterwards. 
Col. Clark, one of our men who hap- 
pened to be at home, with several others, 
went out some miles with a flag of truce 





Brig. General Grierson, U. $, A. 





LIBRARY 
OF THE 
UNIVERSITY OF Bam 
ee ierd af 


Various Incidents, 149 





to meet Gen. Grierson, and informed 
him of my unprotected situation, say- 
ing that he feared for me, as, being the 
wife of a Confederate General, some in- 
dignity on the part of the Union sol- 
diers. Gen. Grierson, a true gentle 
man, as he was, immediately ordered a 
guard stationed at each road leading to 
our home, thereby leaving us un- 
molested. My husband always desired 
to thank this big-hearted General for 
the great kindness shown to his family 
in this trying hour, and at one time, on 
his way to California, he stopped over 
in the town where he understood Gen. 
Grierson lived to thank him in person, 
but was disappointed, as he learned that 
he was then absent from home. I shall 
always cherish the kindest feelings for 
Gen. Grierson, and pray that God will 
bless his family. 


VIL. 


CLOSE OF THE WAR-—INCIDENTS OF 
RECONSTRUCTION—EXTRACT FROM 
JUDGE CLAYTON’S CHARGE TO THE 
GRAND JURY—BEGINNING LIFE OVER. 


ERY soon after this came news of 
the surrender, and that our beloved 
Confederacy was no more. This filled 
our land with sorrow. And I knew not 
where my General was. O, those ter- 
rible days of mourning and anxiety! I 
look back upon them as upon a dreadful 
nightmare. I was waiting, hstening to 
every sound, fearing that something 
more terrible awaited us, when lo! once 
at the close of day I saw a man 
approaching on horseback. Wondering 
who this stranger was, and watching 


Close of the War. 151 


him closely until he reached the house, 
I found to my delight that he was our 
beloved lost one returned to us. My 
heart went out in thanksgiving and 
praise to an “Almighty and merciful 
Father” for the protection He had 
vouchsafed the loved one of our home 
through all the horrible vicissitudes of 
four years of bloodshed and war. His 
safe return was a miracle to me, for I 
knew that in every battle he entered he 
was always in the front ranks. He was 
as brave a soldier as the Confederate 
States had in their army. He was 
wounded twice, and in one battle came 
out on his fourth horse, two having been 
killed and one wounded under him. 
When he laid down the arms he had 
taken up for the Confederate States, the 
Union had no truer, more law-abiding 
citizen in all its area of country than 
was Henry DeLamar Clayton. Not- 
withstanding he had suffered much, lie 


152 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


was willing to accept gracefully and 
patriotically the decisions of war, and 
devote himself earnestly and faithfully 
to the arts of peace, and thus add to the 
glory of his accepted country. 

Ere long we received the anticipated 
intelligence that our slaves were all 
made free by the government of the 
United States. To this we bowed with 
submission. My husband said, ‘Vic- 
toria, I think it best for me to inform 
our negroes of their freedom.” So he 
ordered all the grown slaves to come 
to him, and told them they no longer be- 
longed to him as property, but were all 
free. He said to them, “You are not 
bound to remain with me any longer, 
and I have a proposition to make to you. 
If any of you desire to leave, in consid- 
eration of your faithfulness to my wife 
during the four years of my absence, I 
propose to furnish you with a convey- 


Close of the War. 153 


ance to move you, and with provisions 
for the balance of the year.” 

The universal answer was, ‘Master, 
we want to stay right here with you.” 

The pleasure of knowing they were 
free seemed to be mingled with sadness. 
That very night, long after the usual 
hour for bedtime, the hum of the busy 
spinning wheel was heard. On inquiry 
in the morning I found that Nancy was 
the one spinning long into the night. 
Asking why she had been up so late at 
night at work, she replied: 

“IT have no master to feed and clothe 
Nancy now. She will have to look out 
for something for herself and look out 
for the rainy day.” 

In many instances slaves were so in- 
fatuated with the idea of being, as they 
said, “free as birds,” that they left their 
homes and consequently suffered; but 
our slaves were not so foolish. 

We had the cotton crop on hand 


154 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


which was made the first year of the 
war. After that year we had planted 
only provisions, and no cotton except for 
- the clothing of the family. This old 
cotton crop was sold, and the proceeds 
divided out among all; each family re- 
ceiving according to its size. Just at 
this time a merchant received a lot of 
dry goods, the first store-bought goods 
we had seen in Clayton for four years. 
Everybody went to look at the goods. 
Our negroes soon parted with their 
money. Some bought judiciously, some 
gay finery. All were pleased. 

My brother had a man named John, 
a brick mason by trade, to whom he was 
very much attached. He said to him: 

“John, you are free.” 

He replied: 

“Massa, I'd like to see them Yankees 
make me eny freer den [ is.” 

John continued to take his earnings 
to his master as long as he could work, 


Close of the War. 155 


and when sickness and old age found 
him the family nursed him tenderly 
until death claimed him, and then they 
felt that a friend had gone. 

Gen. Clayton devoted himself to his 
farm, the only difference in the order of 
things being that the former slaves were 
paid monthly wages, and provided their 
own clothes. I often said to my hus- 
band that the freedom of the negroes 
was a freedom to me, a freedom from 
responsibility and care. 

We lived this way for a few years. 
Then Gen. Clayton was made Cireuit 
Judge, and this necessitated his being 
absent from home the greater part of 
the year, and he could not give such 
attention to the farm as to make it prof- 
itable. Consequently he told the ne- 
groes he could hire them no longer, but 
permitted some of them to have farms 
on the plantation, they taking the re- 
sponsibility and paying part of the crop 


156 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


to him. They began then to scatter, but 
some of the old slaves have been with us 
all the years until now. 

Gen. Clayton was elected Judge of 
the EKighth Judicial District of Ala- 
bama in 1866, which position he held 
until July, 1868, when he was removed 
under the Reconstruction Acts of Con- 
eress. His charge to the Grand Jury, 
in Pike County, a portion of which 
related to the condition of our country, 
to the treatment of our former slaves, 
and to the spirit which ought to animate 
the people, was published by the unan- 
imous request of the Bar, and it was re- 
published North and South as a cam- 
paign document. I think it not out of 
place to insert a portion of it here, to- 
gether with the following request on the 
part of the Bar for its publication: 


“Troy, ALABAMA, Sept. 11, 1866. 
“The undersigned members of the 





7 Wea ee r “i 
= a 
_ et - 
¢ ay Ss = ? 
: _ 
al % 


LIBRARY 
OF THE 
UNIVERSITY OF Lunas 


/ 


Wuyi ‘alle 7 





a n 


Incidents of Reconstruction. 157 


Bar of Pike County, having heard with 
much satisfaction and approval your 
charge to the Grand Jury of Pike 
County, and being convinced that the 
publication of that part of your charge 
which concerns the relations between 
the white population and the negroes 
lately emancipated would have a good 
effect upon the Country, respectfully 
ask for a copy of the same for publica- 
tion. 

“A. N. Wortuy, 

“W. C. Woon, 

“W. C. Oatzs, 

“J. D. GarDNeER, 

VWs EL PARKS: 

“W. B. Roperts, 

“BENS. GARDNER, 

“G. T. YELVERTON, 

“EK. L. McInryver, 

“H.C. SEMPLE, 

“J. C. Frournoy, 

“J. N. Arrineton, 


158 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


“Ham McInryver, 
“Joon P. Hussarp, 
“N. W. GRIFFIN.” 


Hxtract from the charge of Judge | 
Clayton to the Grand Jury of Pike 
County on the 9th day of September, 
1866, and published by request of the 
Bar and the Grand Jury wm thew gen- 
eral Presentments. 

“There is a class of our population 
clothed with certain civil rights and 
privileges which they did not possess 
until recently; and in dealing with 
which you may experience some embar- 
rassment. I, of course, allude to the 
negroes. Among the terms upon which 
the Confederate States terminated their 
heroic struggle for a separate and inde- 
pendent nationality, was one which 
guaranteed freedom to this race. Al 
though we deplore that result, as alike 
injurious to the country and fatal to the 


Charge to the Grand Jury. 159 





negroes, the law has been placed upon 
our statute books in solemn form by us 
through our delegates. The laws for 
their government, as slaves, have been 
repealed and others substituted adapted 
to their new condition. We are in 
honor bound to observe these laws. For 
myself I do not hesitate to say in pri- 
vate and public, officially and unoff- 
elally, that, after doing all I could to 
avert it, when I took off my sword in 
surrender I determined to observe the 
terms of that surrender with the same 
earnestness and fidelity with which I 
first shouldered my musket. True man- 
hood requires no deception, but that as 
we say with our lips we shall feel with 
our hearts, and do with our hands. 
“There is nothing in the history of 
the past of which we need be ashamed. 
Whilst we cherish its glorious mem- 
ories, and that of our martyred dead, 
we pause here and there to drop a tear 


160 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





over their consecrated ashes, but re- 
member there is still work for the liv- 
ing, and set ourselves about the task of 
re-establishing society and rebuilding 
our ruined homes. Others unwilling to 
submit to this condition of things may 
seek their homes abroad. You and I 
are bound to this soil for life, for better 
or for worse, and it must at last cover 
our remains. 

“What then is our duty? To repine 
at our lot? That is not the part of man- 
liness; but to rise up, goimg forward, 
performing our highest missions as 
men. ‘He who does the best his circum- 
stances allow, does well—acts nobly; 
angels could do no more.’ Is it not 
enough that the blood of the best and 
bravest has been shed in every battle 
throughout the land? Is it not enough 
_that the bones of our fathers and broth- 
ers and sons he whitening on every hill 
top? Is it not enough that the voice of 


Charge to the Grand Jury. 161 





lamentation has been heard at every 
fireside? Is it not enough that the wail- 
ings of the widows and orphans still 
sound in our ears? Have we not suf- 
fered enough? Have we not done all 
that was in the power of human nature ? 
In our bosoms let us wear this conscious- 
ness as a jewel above price. 

“Now let us deal with the facts before 
us as they are. The negro has been 
made free. It is no work of his. He 
did not seek freedom, and nominally 
free as he is, he is, beyond expression, 
helpless by his want of habits of self- 
reliance, helpless by his want of experi- 
ence, and doubly helpless by his want of 
comprehension to understand and ap- 
preciate his condition. From the very 
nature of his surroundings, so far as 
promoting his welfare and adapting 
him to this new relation to society are 
concerned, all agencies from abroad 
must prove inadequate. They may re- 


162 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





strain in individual instances, but we 
are the only people in the world who 
understand his character, and hence, 
the only people in the world capable of 
managing him. 

“To remedy the evils growing out of 
the abolition of slavery it seems two 
things are necessary: First, a recogni- 
tion of the freedom of the race as a fact, 
the enactment of just and humane laws, 
and the willing enforcement of them. 
Secondly, by treating them with perfect 
fairness and justice in our contracts, 
and in every way in which we may be 
brought in contact with them. 

“By the first we convince the world of 
‘our good faith, and get rid of the sys- 
tem of espionage, by removing the pre- 
text of its necessity ; and by the second, 
we secure the services of the negroes, 
teach them their places, and how to keep 
them, and convince them at last that we 
are indeed their best friends. When we 


Charge to the Grand Jury. 163 


do this let us hope that society will re- 
vive from its present shock, and our 
land be crowned with abundant har- 
vests. We need the labor of the negro 
all over the country, and it is worth the 
effort to secure it. If it would not be 
extending this charge beyond what I 
conceive to be a proper limit of time for 
its delivery, I might enlarge upon this 
subject by showing the depressing effect 
upon the country which would be pro- 
duced by the sudden removal of so much 
of its productive labor. Its effect would 
be the decreased value of the lands, de- 
creased agricultural products, decreased 
revenue to the State and country, aris- 
ing from these sources, with their thou- 
sand attendant results. 

“Besides all this, which appeals to 
our interests, gentlemen, do we owe the 
negro any grudge? What has he him- 
self done to provoke our hostility ? 
Shall we be angry with him because 


164 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





freedom has been forced upon him ? 
Shall it excite our animosity because he 
has been suddenly and without any 
effort on his part, torn loose from the 
protection of a kind master? He is 
proud to call you Master yet. In the 
name of humanity let him do so. He 
may have been the companion of your 
boyhood. He may be older than you, 
and perhaps carried you in his arms 
when an infant. You may be bound to 
him by a thousand ties which only a 
Southern man knows, and which he 
alone can feel in all its force. It may 
be that when, only a few years ago, you 
girded on your cartridge-box and shoul- 
dered your trusty rifle, to go to meet the 
invaders of your country, you com- 
mitted to his care your home and your 
loved ones; and when you were far 
away upon the weary march, upon the 
dreadful battle-field, in the trenches, 
and on the picket line, many and many 


Charge to the Grand Jury. 165 


a time you thought of that faithful old 
negro, and your heart warmed towards 
him.” 


This charge to the Grand Jury of 
Pike County shows somewhat the con- 
dition into which the country had been 
plunged by the termination of the war. 
“The brutalities of progress are called 
revolutions, but when they are ended 
the fact is recognized; the human race 
has been chastised, but it has moved 
onwards.” 

No one can realize the severe ordeal 
the Southern people were required to 
pass through during the process of 
Reconstruction but those of us who ex- 
perienced it. Thousands of negroes, 
uneducated, unfitted for anything ex- 
cept to obey and to do their duty each 
day as directed by a superior, were 
given in one day their freedom; and not 
only that, but all the privileges of citi- 


166 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


zenship. ‘Their conduct in this trying 
time should prove to the world the love, 
fear, and high regard which they enter- 
tained for their former masters. There 
is nothing I think in the records of the 
history of the world like their docility 
and willingness to be law-abiding citi- 
zens under these extraordinary cireum- 
stances. It would seem natural that so 
great and sudden a change in their con- 
dition would have proven too much for 
them, and that they would have become 
intoxicated, as it were. As it was, we 
could have managed them splendidly 
and without dissatisfaction or distrust 
on their part, had the so-called “carpet 
baggers” kept out of our midst. They, 
in many instances, used the negro for 
‘their own advancement by getting his 
vote, and procuring the offices of the 
State which should have been filled by 
our own reliable men. 

We were not only subjected to these 


Beginning Life Over. 167 


political troubles, but we were bereft of 
our property without any compensation. 
The experience of my husband and my- 
self was the experience of thousands. 
We were married early in life, and had 
applied ourselves closely to duty, and 
consequently saved some money each 
year. This money was invested to the 
best advantages the time afforded and 
in a way then legally sanctioned; viz., 
in slaves. From 1850 to 1865 we 
labored with the view of securing the 
wherewithal to educate our children 
(and God blessed us with a goodly num- 
ber), and have something ready for the 
winter of old age. In 1865 we had all 
our earnings swept away; nothing re- 
mained except the consciousness of hav- 
ing done our duty “in that state of life 
unto which it had pleased God to 
eall us.” 

I believe now, that Slavery is a det- 
riment to any country, and if I could bv 


168 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





any act of mine re-establish it here and 
get back my slaves, I would not do it. 
But the government of the United 
States has the credit of giving the black 
man his freedom, while it was at the 
expense of the Southern people; and we 
feel the loss. 

We had to begin life over, as it were. 
The farm had been carried on with Joe 
as foreman, as in the days of Slavery, 
for two years, when Mr. Clayton 
thought best to make a change; and in 
the fall Joe came up to talk of the busi- 
ness for the next year. 

My husband said: 

“Joe, what shall we do?” 

ras Joe replied, ‘‘What- 
3 ever you say, Marster.”’ 

Then my husband 
said, ‘‘Well, Joe, that is 
what you have said every 
time. Now I want to 
know what does Joe 


aes 
Say : 





Beginning Life Over. 169 


He said, ‘Well, Master, I am tired 
worryin’ wid dese free niggers, and 
would like to have a little farm of my 
own.” 

There was a house on an eighty-acre 
lot over on the far end of the plantation 
which my husband told him he would 
sell him, and let him pay so much each 
year until it was paid for. The house 
consisted of two large rooms and a hall. 
Joe and Nancy very soon were moved 
and fixed up with all that was necessary 
for a farm. 

Thus I lost my good cook, and began 
my experience with the freedman as 
servant. I well remember my first ef- 
fort at preparing a meal of substantial 
food. The making of delicacies, cakes 
and desserts of different kinds, I had 
learned when I had first begun life as a 
housekeeper; but to boil vegetables and 
prepare the common dishes were things 
the negroes all knew so well that they 
had been left to them for preparation. 


170 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





Naney had been my cook for so many 
vears that she had learned to make 
beautiful light-bread and cakes, also to 
put up fruits of various kinds, jellies, 
wines, ete. Every Friday in my home 
bread was made for Sunday, that it 
might be a day of rest for all. Friday 
was selected for the baking, so if the 
cook did not succeed well there would be 
another day in which to work. Nancy 
adopted these rules in the management 
of her house. Her family consisted of 
Joe and herself and one little boy which 
she had taken during slavery. His 
mother died when he was only one year 
old, and Nancy asked if she might take 
the boy. We were glad to let her have 
the child, knowing she would take his 
mother’s place. 

Every Sunday morning Nancy would 
send me a basket of good things from 
her store room, something, she would 
say, to help out Missus’s dinner, and it 


Beginning Life Over. ge ga 





was always acceptable. She would 
often invite the whole of my family to 
come over and take dinner with her— 
my husband, myself, and my children 
comprising the family under the new 
order of things. I had so many chil- 
dren that I would hesitate to take them 
all to dine with a neighbor generally, 
but not with this good woman and 
friend. She esteemed it a great privi- 
lege to have “her white folks” spend the 
day with her. Her table was always 
covered with a beautiful white cloth, and 
plenty of silver, obtained by her at the 
agricultural fairs. Her dinners were 
all that an epicure could wish. She 


> as she called her boy, 


and “‘Sonny,’ 
would wait on us while we were eating, 
and when we had finished our dinner 
and gone into the sitting room, her fam- 
ily would sit down and eat their dinner. 
They never for one moment thought 


of sitting down to the table with 


172 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


“Master’s” folks. We never went to 
her house but that she would have us eat 
something. They both toiled late and 
early and were blessed with plenty. 

The negroes were, and are, proud to 
have lived with the better class of 
whites, but have always had a contempt 
for the poorer class. They would call 
them ‘“‘poor Buckra.”’ : 

My husband’s brother had a man 
named Lewis, who, when a small boy, 
was a waiter at his father’s home. I 
saw him there when we were married 
and made my first visit to his parents. 
A bright boy he was. After this 
brother’s death, occasioned from a 
wound received at Murfreesboro, his 
property was divided and Lewis came 
into our possession. After Emancipa- 
tion Lewis remained with us many 
years. _ His home was only a short dis- 
tance from our home. He cultivated a 


farm successfully, and soon had ac- 


Beginning Life Over. 173 


quired not only the necessaries of life, 
but some luxuries. He had a pair of 
nice horses, a buggy and wagon, and 
other things, and lived well; but he had 
never known freedom entirely without 
Mars’ Henry’s supervision. 

One day he came to the conclusion 
that he would move away and enjoy 
freedom to its fullest extent. He came 
to see Mr. Clayton in the fall to say 
something about it. He seemed em- 
barrassed when Mr. Clayton addressed 
him: 

“Lewis, what is it you want ?” 

“Well, Mars’ Henry, I want to move 
away and feel ontirely free and see 
whut I cen do by mysef. You has been 
kind to me and I has done well, but I 
want to go anyhow.” 

Mr. Clayton said, “Very well, Lewis, 
that is all right, move when you please ; 
but when you leave, nail up the door of 
your house and leave it until you want 


174 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 





to ‘come back. No one else shall go 
into it.” 

Lewis and his brother, Ned, rented a 
farm some miles beyond Clayton, 
moved, and we heard no more of them 
until the next fall, when Lewis made 
his appearance, very much dejected. 

Mr. Clayton said, “How are you, 
Lewis? How are you getting on?’ 

“Bad, Mars’ Henry. I have come to 
ask ef I cen go into my old house 
again.” 

Lewis and Ned had hired hands, got- 
ten a merchant to furnish them, and 
lost almost everything they had started 
out with. Lewis moved back, and has 
been loath to leave the Claytons since, 
and is now with us, an old man. Ned 
died very soon after with pneumonia. 
His wife, Betsey, soon followed him to 
the grave. She had consumption, some- 
thing almost unheard of with the col- 
ored people when slavery existed, but 


Beginning Life Over. 175 


which is now a common disorder with 
them. 

In 1874 Gen. Clayton came out as a 
candidate for the office of Circuit 
Judge, his disabilities having been re- 
moved. He said to me one Saturday, 
“Victoria, I must start out on Monday 
to see the people of this Judicial Cir- 
cuit, and I do dislike so much to go 
alone, and wish you could go with me.” 

“Well,” I said, “send for my sister to 
take care of the children and my house- 
hold generally, and I will take the baby 
and go with you.” The baby was only 
six months old—our Benjamin, the last 
of the generous number God had given 
us. My sister was brought, and on 
Monday morning we started in a buggy, 
railroads being unknown in these south- 
eastern counties of Alabama. 

We traveled from one little town to 
another, meeting many friends, and 
kindness on every hand. 


176 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





I remember one instance particu- 
larly. A Mr. Godwin and his wife, who 
lived in one of these little towns, had 
come to Clayton several years before to 
sell their small crop and buy some sup- 
phes. Mr. Clayton met them and in- 
sisted on their coming to our home to 
spend the night, instead of camping as 
they intended doing. They came. 
They were good, plain, country people. 
We treated them with the greatest 
courtesy and attention possible, and 
next morning when they were ready to 
leave, I had a nice lunch prepared for 
their enjoyment on their way home. 
They always remembered this visit to 
our house with pleasure. In our trav- 
els we drove up to their home one even- 
ing about twilight. The old man was 
standing near the gate at the time, and 
as soon as he discovered who we were, 
he called in a loud tone of voice for his 
wife to come and see who had come. 


Beginning Life Over. a ire 


She came out quickly to see. She 
was a large, strong-looking woman, and 
just lifted me and my baby in her 
embrace. The little fellow did not 
know what was the matter. So loud 
and close a demonstration frightened 
him terribly; but after some little time, 
peace was restored, and we were domi- 
ciled for the night. 

The next morning, at a very early 
hour, the people could be seen coming 
from the surrounding country, some on 
foot, some in buggies, some on _ horse- 
back, and many in wagons, sitting in 
chairs, and many a well filled basket 
was brought. They came in to hear 
Mr. Clayton make a speech. After the 
speaking, which was under the forest 
trees, the baskets were opened and a 
bountiful dinner spread for all. 

This electioneering jaunt was very 
much enjoyed by us. It carried us 
back to our early married life. All 


178 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


care being left behind, we felt young 
again. 

Mr. Clayton was elected to the office, 
which he filled many years, and made a 
considerable reputation as a Judge. 
The colored population looked upon him 
as their special friend. They would 
often be heard to say, “I know the 
Jedge will see thet I hev jestice.” In 
dealing with these people he always re- 
membered the few opportunities they 
had had to fit themselves for the respon- 
sibilities of citizenship, and extended 
to them all the leniency the law would 
permit. He endeavored ‘to do justly 
and love mercy.” 

The salary of the Judge’s office being 
very small, we were forced to practise 
economy in every way we could, to pro- 
vide for our very large family. By 
this time our former slaves were scat- 
tered far and wide, but we always had 


some near enough to claim our sympa- 


Beginning Life Over. 179 





thy in sickness and sorrow. ‘Times had 
changed, oh, somuch! One can hardly 
realize how much, and in so short a 
time. 

Old Joe, after some years of prosper- 
ity, was stricken with disease. Nancy 
sent over to me to send her a blue mass 
pul; that Joe was sick. The medicine 
was sent, and next morning I called one 
of my httle boys to go with me to see 
how Uncle Joe was, and to take him 
some delicacies. 

We walked over the fields to his house 
and found him very critically il. I 
said to him: 

“Joe, you must have a doctor.” 

He answered in a _ feeble voice, 
“Mistus, I trust in Jesus.” 

I said to him, “Having a doctor will 
not show a want of your trust in your 
Saviour.” 

He hesitated, and I made this illus- 


tration to him: 


180 White and Black Under the old Regime. 


“Does not God cause the wheat and 
corn to grow to be made into bread to 
sustain man ?”’ 

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. 

“Well, don’t you have to plant the 
grain, cultivate it, and then have it 
ground to make the bread? And you 
believe this is right ?”’ 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Then why not use the medicine that 
God has filled the earth with, prepared 
by those who have studied what each 
herb is good for? Doctors have made 
it their business to learn how to prepare 
and give these medicines, a gift from 
God to His creatures.” 

Old Joe then said, “Mistus, send for 
the doctor.” 

The doctor was called in immedt- 
ately, but when he came he told me that 
the chances were against him. 

That night Judge Clayton came home 
on his way from one Court to another. 


Beginning Life Over. 181 





He indulged in a needed rest after his 
long day’s drive, then went over to see 
his faithful and beloved old friend, and 
sat by him during the lonely watches of 
the night. The next morning he re 
sumed his journey towards duty, but 
not until instructions had been given 
for a respectable burial of Joe, as he 
knew Joe would never get up again. 
He lived but a few hours. And now, 
in sight of the little cottage where this 
faithful old man spent the sunset of his 
life, there lies a lonely grave with the 
solemn pine trees above it forever sing- 
ing a requiem for his soul that has gone 


“To that fair land, upon whose strand 
No wind of winter moans.” 


After Joe’s death, Nancy got on very 
well, as her boy, Sonny, had grown to be 
almost a man, and could partially fill 
Joe’s place. They lived very happily 
for many years, when this boy, in an 


182 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


evil hour, gathered up all the money she 
had and left her. She came over in 
great distress to get Master to make 
Sonny come back, not doubting Master’s 
ability to do anything he wished. 
Mr. Clayton told her that Sonny was 
of age and she could not compel him to 
come back. 

Sonny returned in penitence the next 
year. Nancy was very ambitious to 
live well and have many things around 
her, consequently she over-estimated her 
strength, and in a few years became a 
victim to a lingering disease. During 
this time we visited her constantly and 
loved to minister to her wants, tempor- 
ally and spiritually, and with the assist- 
ance of my Prayer Book I believe I 
gave her comfort in these days of gloom. 
She died, and we were constrained to 
feel that another friend had left us. 

Thus passed away two noble people. 
Though their skins were black, their 


Beginning Life Over, 183 


souls were as pure and white as the 
driven snow. [arth has rarely had 
better, and few like them. 


Vill, 


BECOMING A SLAVEHOLDER AGAIN. 


ACK, another of our old servants, 

_ came to me some years after his 
freedom, and wanted me to take one of 
his children, a boy of seven years of 
age. Huis wife had died, and the boy, 
Charley, was quite delicate, and he 
wanted some one to take care of him. 

I said, “Jack, give him to me, and I 
will do the best in my power to raise 
him right, and make him a useful man.” 

In a few days after, it being Christ- 
mas morning, Jack came in and said: 

“Miss Vicky, here is Charley.” 

The writings of trust were signed by 


ie) 
on 


Becoming a Slaveholder Again, 1 





him, and Charley has been my property 
ever since. He has grown to be a man 
in height and almost in years. He isa 
good, obedient boy, and really has be- 
come quite an institution in my family. 
One of my daughters undertook to edu- 
cate him, and tried every evening for a 
whole winter to teach him, and at the 
end of the winter he did not know all of 
the alphabet, so she gave up his educa- 
tion in disgust. Then another daugh- 
ter began the task, and, after much 
trouble and patience, got him through 
the first reader. He 1s a bright boy, 
except in “book learning.” He can 
count money, tell the time by the clock 
or a watch, and do an errand as intelli- 
gently as any boy. His father has been 
opposed to his being taught to read and 
write, because he says if he learns to 
write he will be in the penitentiary for 
some meanness, and Charley himself 


said: 


186 White and Black Under the Old Regime, 


“Miss Mary, God did not make nig- 
gers to learn books.” 

And it is true, many of the young 
boys that have grown up since the war 
have been sent to the penitentiary for 
obtaining money by the means of know- 
ing how to write. 

Mr. Hilliard, in a book recently pub- 
lished, says: 

“To-day not a slave treads the soil of 
freedom, from the waters of the St. 
Lawrence to the Mexican sea, from the 
shore of the Atlantic, where the rising 
sun greets the Flag of the Republic, to 
the distant coast of the Pacific, where 
his setting beams kindly upon its fold.” 

I would like to show him Charley and 
tell him he is mistaken. Charley is 
bound by law to me, and is as much 
under my control as one of my own chil- 
dren. And here again Scripture comes 
in—see Gal. iv. 


Charley is almost like one of my chil- 


Becoming a Slaveholder Again. 187 


dren. When he arrives at his majority 
he may leave me to find out how abso- 
lute freedom feels. Now he is as sub- 
missive as one of my old slaves, and as 
much attached to the family. 

A short time before the war we 
bought a woman with two children who 
had been brought from Maryland, and 
as soon as she knew she was free, she 
said to Mr. Clayton: 

“Master, I want to save up my wages 
to go back to my old home.” 

So at the end of the year he would 
give her his note calling for the amount 
due her. At the end of the second year 
she concluded to return. Being a 
woman of very little sense, Mr. Clayton 
was afraid to have her start off in the 
usual way to reach Washington, whither 
she wanted to go; so he bought her pas- 
sage through the Express, and the bal- 
ance of her money which she had aceu- 
mulated she put into her bosom. Thus 


188 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


she and her children left Eufaula, with 
a well filled basket of lunch for the trip. 
Mr. Clayton wrote to a gentleman in 
Washington to meet her and help her 
arrange her matters on her arrival, 
which he did. When members of the 
family visit the city they frequently see 
Jane. She comes to inquire about her 
friends down South. 

These instances and facts concerning 
our old slaves I mention to show the 
love and trust that existed between the 
master and his slave in our Southern 
land. As I have said before, many of 
us thought Slavery a curse to our land. 
Yet what were we to do but to make the 
best of existing laws and environments 4 

My husband became tired of the oner- 
ous duties of his Judicial office, after 
fourteen years of constant labor, and, 
the salary being so small a compensa- 
tion, he decided to make a change, and 
the Presidency of the University of Ala- 


Becoming a Slaveholder Again, 189 


bama was tendered him. He resigned 
the Judgeship and accepted this new 
position. 

It was a hard trial to gather up and 
leave our dear old home. Every tree 
and flower were dear to us. There our 
children had been born. There we had 
seen many of them grow up to manhood 
and womanhood. There 
we had spent many happy 
years. In the little town, 
we had by hard work 
built a little church to the 
glory of God, and in our 
home stood the prophet’s 





room always ready for him 
when he made his regular ge Rd a ale 
visitations. And then 
the dear, sainted Bishop 
Cobbs had rested under 
our roof each year when 
he made his annual visit 
to this corner of his vine- 
yard, and since his death 





BISHOP WILMER. 


190 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


the beloved Bishop Wilmer has done 
the same. All these remembrances 
endeared the home to us. 


“There is a land of every land the pride, 

Beloved by Heaven o’er all the world beside; 

Where shall that land, that spot of earth be 
found? 

Art thou a man? a patriot? look around; 

Oh! thou shalt find, howe’er thy footsteps 
roam, 

That land thy country, that spot thy home.” 


Lewis, the man who had lived with us 
all these years, came to ask the privi- 
lege of going with us. He said: 

“Mars’ Henry, are you goin’ to Tus- 
caloosa ¢” 

‘yeg.77 

“Well, let me go with you? Wher- 
ever you go, I want to go too.” 

He felt like Ruth when she said to 
Naomi, ‘‘Whither thou goest, I will go; 
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; 
thy people shall be my people, and thy 
God my God.” 


Lewis, with one other of our old 


“‘psoo posn yy, “Duvgn ly Lo fpssan0Uy 


“UOISUBU S JUIPISIId 





i‘ ’ ot Ce et, M4 a ret 
3 7 rome e pt +s J 
7 i ay " we So vy \ . 
5 aD Als) to 
. 7 
c at) es 
J. va sn. Be: 
— 5 


LIBRARY 
OF THE 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 





Becoming a Slaveholder Again, 191 





slaves, went with us to our new home. 
Our family of children numbered only 
five then, three boys and two girls; our 
other children having made homes for 
themselves. 

After we had been in Tuscaloosa a 
few months, one night some one knocked 
at the door, and on opening it to see 
who it was, some one said, ‘Mars’ 
Henry, I have come to cook for you.” 

We found it was our old cook whom 
we had left behind in Clayton. 

The last night we spent in our old 
home, the young people of the town 
came out with instruments of music to 
bid farewell to the old house where they 
had spent so many happy evenings. 
How sad the farewell was tome! On 
the next morning, the 13th day of 
August, 1886, there was a marriage in 
the dear little church very early, which 
we attended; then we boarded the train 
on our way to the untried life that 
awaited us in Tuscaloosa. 


192 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 





In Tuscaloosa everything was differ- 
ent from our mode of ving on a farm. 
Gen. Clayton put all his earnestness and 
zeal into his work for the State, trying 
to mould her young sons to fill credit- 
ably the important places they would 
soon be called upon to fill. Here he 
labored for three years, and made many 
strong friends, particularly among the 
fathers of these young men committed 
to his care. 

In the beginning of the fourth scho- 
lastic year, early in October, he came 
home from his office one day about 
eleven o’clock. This being an unusual 
hour for his return, I went to meet him, 
and asked him what was the matter. 
fle said: 

“Victoria, I am sick.” 

With my assistance, he was soon in 
bed. He said: 

“Call me a little before 2 o’clock, as 
I am to lecture then to the Law class.” 


Becoming a Slaveholder Again, 193 


I sat down by the bedside to watch 
with anxious care as only a loving wife 
can; but before the time had expired, he 
arose, drank a cup of tea, and went over 
to the University to deliver his lecture 
to the Law class. 

When he returned after the close of 
his duties for the day, he said that the 
cup of tea refreshed him very much, 
and that he spent a very interesting 
hour with the students, and really en- 
joyed it. Little did we think it was the 
last hour he would spend with these 
young men. 

The next day he felt better, and at- 
tended to his usual duties; but that 
night he became worse, and the next 
morning we had the surgeon come to see 
him. 

The doctor did not think anything 
serious the matter, and gave him some 
simple medicine. Several hours later 
he fainted and never rallied. Another 


194 White and Black Under the Old Regime. 


physician was called in, but they could 
do nothing for his relief. On the 13th 
of October his spirit was taken to the 
God who gave it, and we were left to 
mourn the loss; not only a loss to his 
sorrowing family, but a loss to the State 
of Alabama, which he had served so 
faithfully, through every vicissitude. 

The colored people considered it a 
special loss to them, as he had always 
shown to them justice and kindness— 
“rich in love and sweet humanity.” 

The Trustees of the University re 
quested me to remain in the President’s 
home until the expiration of the scho- 
lastic year, which I did. 

One of my daughters married Dr. 
Rogers, of Memphis, Tenn., and with 
my other four children I moved to 
Eufaula. Lewis and Charley, our col- 
ored friends, form a part of my house- 
hold until the present time. 


Becoming a Slaveholder Again, 195 


Here ends my simple story, which I 
trust may help to show some of our 
Northern brethren the good there was 
in the institution of Slavery as it ex- 
isted in the Southern States; and may 
engender a more just judgment of the 
white man who lived under the Old 
Regime in the South. 

I hope also that it may arouse pleas- 
ant memories in the minds of old 
friends, and may prove of interest to my 
children and their descendants, as well 
as give them correct impressions of the 
inner life of a Christian slave-holding 
household; and an idea also of the life 
and purposes of the first Confederate 
Colonel. 


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